Fantasy Claimants of the Forsaken Lands

Dest · Sep 27, 2022

Azdanur

Screams could be heard echoing in the distance, the light of flames flickering across the faces of the gathered men and women as they fought. With a final swing of his sword a man felled the enemy in front of him, giving him a moment to breath and take in the rest of the battle around him. At a glance he was not encouraged by what he saw, the dead bodies of his allies almost outnumbering those of his enemies with more being added at a rapid rate. Even as he watched another of his brothers fall, he charged back into the battle and allowed the haze of battle to fall over his mind once more. He did not know how long he fought, nor how many he killed. The only thing that he knew was that he was alive and still able to fight whoever challenged him. As the night wore on the screams lessened until there was naught but silence upon the field of battle.

"Kaiden! Get over here!" the call of one of the members of his Sword snapped him out of his haze, his eyes being drawn to the waving form of Gideon Aurel. Kaiden staggered toward his friend, stopping in shock as he got closer and saw what the other man wanted him to see. The fallen form of their grandmaster was surrounded by the vast majority of the remaining high command, swords still in hands. The smaller man shook it off and moved forward quickly, moving to check each of the men in turn to check if any of them still lived.

"Kaiden, Gideon, come to me..." both men's eyes snapped to the voice, their grandmaster forcing the words out with great difficulty. Kaiden was the first to reach him, propping the injured man up against his leg. "You must... live... on... I name you High Champion Kaiden. Lead... Lead with pride."

"I will Lord Arian, now rest my lord," as the older man closed his eyes Kaiden lowered him back to the ground, taking up his sword and turning back to his friend once more. "Come Gideon, we must find out what happened to Alice, Walsh, and Maiya. I fear that we may have lost them with the rest, but we have to hope."

"Aye, now let us go, High Champion."

Kaiden stared down at the sword in his lap, his now single eye taking in the symbols engraved upon it for the thousandth time. With a deep sigh he reached up and felt the patch that covered his eye, the new accessory something that he was still struggling to get used to.

"Kaiden, come to bed," the spellsword jumped, shocked out of his memories, and looked up, taking in the sight of his wife with a smile. "You've been staring at your sword for far too long now."

"I know Vivian, I just lost myself in my thoughts," he stood and sheathed the sword, putting it down on the table before he approached and drew her into a brief kiss. "I wonder, does Lord Arian regret his choice? Does he believe that I made the wrong choice?"

"I don't know my love, but I know you have at least partially achieved your goal," Vivan smiled at her husband, leaning into his arms. "You, Gideon, and Alice are no longer the only true members of the order. You are well on your way to restoring the family that saved you to glory."

"Perhaps, or perhaps I've doomed us all to the pits of hell with my rash decision," Kaiden drew her against his chest and breathed in her scent, truly relaxing for the first time in what felt like months.

"Believe in hope love, for hope will never abandon you so long as you believe in it."

"I will have to trust in hope then my love, for I fear without it we will drown in despair."

"Welcome, honored squires of the Order of Silver. Today is the day which some of you have long awaited, the day which you are truly accepted into the order," Kaiden stood atop a makeshift stage, little more than a wooden box, and looked upon the group of squires in front of him. "I will not lie to any of you, normally you would be squires for far longer than you have been. I'm sure all of you have heard rumors or drawn your own conclusions as to why you are all suddenly stronger and have skills you did not have before. This is due to a deal I made with what we believe to be a Djinn, a kind of magical creature who makes deals with individuals at a price. I understand how some of you may feel about this, but I do not regret my decision nor the loss of my eye. Are there any questions before we proceed with the ceremony?"

"High Commander! What of our promotion, is it not a requirement to be able to use magic to become a Knight of Silver?" Townley stepped forward, the tallest among the squires voicing the question that many of them had.

"You are not being promoted to knights, but instead you will become Sergeants of Silver. This is one rank below Knights of Silver but otherwise will have no bearing on how any of you will be treated, as you are all achieving your ranks at the same time there will be no division among any of you," Kaiden nodded to the younger man, allowing him to step back in line.

"What about me and Dave? We never asked to be no 'Silver Sergeants' or whatever the hell you're trying to make us!" the former bandit Shawn was the next one to step forward, glaring at the man who had forced him into service.

"You will not be expected to do any more than you already have begun to do and will have an increase in your pay, I'd think you would be happy with that," the High Champion glared the bandit back into line, still not quite having forgiven him for stabbing his shoulder. "Any more questions? No? Then we shall begin. Each of you raise your left hand."

As the fifteen men and women followed Kaiden's instructions, Alice and Gideon stepped forwards from beside him and produced a small pile of silver rings each. They began walking down the line and handing each squire a ring that would fit them as best as possible from the fairly limited choices.

"These rings you are receiving are one of the two marks of the order, the other being a tabard which you will be given later, and are relics of members long passed," Kaiden raised his own left hand, showing the silver ring that gleamed on his finger. "You will wear these rings at all times, and should you be able to call upon any of the strands of magic the ring will act as your focus. Gavron, Arietta, Forgrin, Shawn, and Godiva, you will be known as Sword Sentinel. Aurem, Dolf, Eliza, Rodrick, and Kirsten, you will be known as Sword Justice. Dave, Halley, Patric, Townley, and Marvelle, you will be known as Sword Liberty. Each of you will work with your Sword, live with your Sword, and, should the need arise, die with your Sword on the field of battle. As you all gain experience a leader will be chosen for your Sword, they will be in charge of commanding the Sword when a senior Knight is unable to and will report directly to us. The remaining four members of each Sword will be assigned sixteen members of the militia. Each of you will be in charge of training your assigned members and commanding them should battle occur."

"Sir! What of the remaining six militia members?" Kirsten steps forward, drawing an appreciative glance from Kaiden at her quickly done math.

"The six most promising members will be offered the opportunity to join us as squires, should they refuse the next in line will be offered the same until we have six squires in total," the older spellsword closed his eye for a moment. "Each of you remember, you are now all true members of the Order of Silver. You are dismissed."

Alice scanned the report in front of her and nodded, signing off on the release of 160 extra gold to go to the walls project in order to have more workers start on it.

Actions
1. Attempt to discover if any members of the village or sergeants has a connection to any of the strands of magic

2. Begin crafting of homemade spears (Goal of forty)

Current Projects
100 [80 gold used so far, estimated final cost will be 400 gold] for Wooden Walls [20%]

Completed Projects
Training Field

Village Population
429

50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
80% Human/20% Other [Dwarves/Halflings/Other]

Taxation
50%

Aether-Kissed Marble

Terrain
Hills

517 Gold, 6 Silvers

Very heavy and cumbersome armor, built for an Orc. Will get -20% agility for any non-orc that wears it [-10 for an orc] counts as Armor Point 4.

A very large, but well made, axe. This axe may only be used by someone with a Strength of at least 40%. The user will have -5% agility, but have +1 Damage. This has Slow and Impact.

9 Unused Swords/Axes/Maces
8 suits of gamberson
6 crossbows
3 suits of chainmail

Medium armor, [Armor Point 3], seems to be a masterwork and you can't fathom who'd leave it behind. As a masterwork, it will not hurt your agility.

15 Sergeants

Gavron, Arietta, Forgrin, Shawn, and Godiva

Aurem, Dolf, Eliza, Rodrick, and Kirsten

Dave, Halley, Patric, Townley, and Marvelle

Chip
17 Hunters
[Similar to militia only they have hunting bows already are a bit more trained)
198 Untrained Militia

Trektek · Sep 28, 2022

LightHome

Logrim BlazingHand

Turn 3

lNeGAcvigSdH4s1K5z2bC2mIlo6KLaSvheN0C1WiZ3L-YtKq7VpHsM_759C5MM9xYfHdUItY292JdRaBNWo-NszspgZWHt4HkQXtKm4y-0ptPG_cTH0oFd51qkBeTORVe8PGwZJvbi_hpTX8nZZpvfs1PipD41U6RpfFErnBnH-Fo1FPQNeQnfwQMw

Prince Logrim was deep in thought, looking over the map. Their nearest neighbor of DeadLight was trapped within a state of depravity that gave rise to conflicting schools of thoughts.

The Upper Echelons of the Rich sought only to make coin on the ruins of their previous MountainHome, something that was in itself disgraceful when they should try to raise an army and retake their rightful place under the mountain. If he had been able to make such progress with such a small group, a larger force should be able to clear it out in a few months time.

The racist zealots of the Forked Beard would be helpful in this task, but unfortunately, they despise all those that are not dwarf and any dwarves that support good relations with other races. They want to restore the MountainHome, but at too great a cost. Other races can help keep us strong and bring in new ideas. They only wish to restore the old ways.

Then there are the people that are caught in the middle. Those that wish for the restoration of their MountainHome, but don’t have the power to it. They are the ones most hurt by the Nobles and the Forked Beard.

The long term goal is to overthrow the Nobility of DeadLight and rip out the cancerous growth of the Forked Beard. Possible paths include digging down into the old MountainHome once the army is strong enough in numbers and advanced technology to do so. By cleansing their home and restoring it to its former glory, they might become great allies or even a protectorate of LightHome.

Time will tell based on how this unfolds.

BrhD02Wt5yiLbFERi1tdbxHg1EK4n_k6zNPEAQjM--AeAF2b6g43n8qq-xiljsM9kluicq1F03pOPFjvlRTabzkmIKmBbabN35TD9aTbxcCU_Iq7fP5wxQUrwUpEEo6y53Cxwc9gSmjwaw4ERKW3QDyANeVHqEssuI1AEUwZMlZwi7uYCr6qt0KUpA

Logbook of Dwarven Miner, Boron

Day 70

“I be hearing tell that the Refining Facility for the Ore that we are mining is almost complete. Me and the boys can’t wait for Wrought Iron to be distributed among the works of our people. It be the only proper metal to be using in this day and age.”

Day 76

“I hear tell of a city called DeadLight that taxes and taxes everyone and and everything that moves back and forth or even makes the tiniest bit of profit. That be no way to live. That sort of greed be for Humans. No offense to Jeff or his ilk. Not us proud and true dwarves. The pride shown in our work and craftsmanship should be better than that much coin weighing down a pocket. As the old proverb goes, ‘If a shaft be filling with water, those with nothing in their pockets be able to rise to the top and escape, while those weighed down by Pretty rocks will sink to the bottom.’”

Day 82

“I hear down the grape vine that they are going to be building an entire mine cart system to go through the mines and the town. That sounds like a dream. Should hopefully increase how quickly we can cart everything out of these mines to get refined.”

KJ0tt7Uk2rJLIrWbkgXHVlAXDQeh2t8O0ZUkCwTeXwrjqBAnYfdhWXrg4-XIy8_g844FgOcqC1IwJmRvRdr54FbvQSwUCC1QUL6A1DD4mak2XoIzRPRjh8I6LCGDvwnitTPumEXsUGeRhqeZKKobtFcPNh-Xi7UtizCTGLAW2SMd-Q4jmR82qlckqw

Better Relations

Logrim called in his Uncle Hazzim once more to discuss necessary on goings with the settlement and its people.

“...And now onto other matters, Uncle. I believe that after my experiences dealing with the Forked Beard zealots, that I need to make even more overtures with the humans that are living in my domain in order to make them feel much more welcome and to make this place a home that they will wish to be a part of for generations.”

Hazzim stroked his beard as Logrim spoke. “And how do you plan to do this my Prince?”

“I will import in food and animals that will make them feel more accustomed to their way of life and I shall throw a celebration marking the humans becoming a part of the LightHome community as I feel that we need to celebrate the differences that make us all the stronger.”

Hazzim nodded. “A wise move indeed. Perhaps that might even bring in more humans to our domain and increase the workforce for your later projects.”

Logrim’s eyes widened. “Yes. I suppose that the advanced rotating guns capable of firing many shots at once would require additional hands. But we will have to work on acquiring a steady source of Powder. Now, please make sure that these things will be underway.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Hazzim bowed and left the room.

“There is so much to do. And with Winters soon upon us, hopefully it will be a light one.”

Turn Actions

Action 1: Construct a system of Mining Carts and rails that move through the town and mines to ease transport of goods and people. Allocate 10 members of the Disgraced Guards to protect the workers during construction.

Action 2: Acquire Food and Animals that will help make sure the humans feel more at home to better integrate within the LightHome community. Throw a celebration in their honor to aid in that camaraderie and integration. Include Ales, Food, Contests, Songs, and Dances.

Continuing Tasks: Finish Building Refining Facility

Kent · Oct 2, 2022

Nova Empearal

Village Population
437

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
90% Humans, 10% Other

Taxation
50%

Resource
Silver

Terrain
Mountains

Revenue
275 gold, 2 Silver
(+33)

Upkeep/Expenditure
126, 2 Silver
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance, you only pay wages for mercs [Rose])

Income
149 Gold

Treasury
423 Gold, 6 Silver

Araquiel looked at the leafless trees and sighed. Winter is coming, an always challenging season for the village. Food will be scarcer which means lesser income for the village. It's a good thing they were able to have a sizeable reserve, but it's gonna take a drastic drop this winter as Araquiel has multiple projects planned and he approved the hiring of the mercenaries.

Expensive, but it's necessary. The village has barely any military power aside from him, the halfling, and a dumb troll. The village needs defenses against threats and those mercenaries will fill the gap. The Companion of The Graves is expected to arrive next month and when they do, he plans to immediately set out with them to deal with the remaining bandits. He shouldn't leave a job half-done.

His thoughts then wandered Grensbrook and its young leader. Everything he said to the lady was true, he desires the unification of both villages to face greater threats in the forsaken realm and to be able to grasp bigger opportunities. He wonders how we will bring about unification. Perhaps he will go with the flow... or perhaps he could take more drastic actions. He'll continue to observe the following months and see if the situation changes.

Actions:
Order 1: Construct Smelter and Foundry

Budget: 100 Gold

Order 2: Prepare for Winter

Budget: 50 Gold

Preparations for Winter are to be made. Medicines, blankets, and other essentials are purchased from Cendeb and other merchant caravans.

Free Actions:
Hire the Grimblades
Hire the Companion of The Graves
Continue Construction of Magic Academy (Extra gold will be provided to expedite the construction, additional 50 gold on top of the initial 100 gold).

Charlie12520 · Oct 2, 2022

The Melting Mountains

It had been a few hours since the mutiny, but the scent of burning fur still hung in the air of Leo Magnus’ small tent. He had stuffed his nose with parchment in response, to no avail. A skinny man with a thin face, pointed chin, wide-brimmed graying mustache and a nasty scar that dug into his blind right eye, Leo Magnus could pass as a lieutenant for any army. Indeed, to his dismay, that was the role that Marsk had commanded him to play. I only wrote what I thought was true, and now I am here, Leo thought, forbidden by the lord to write or read. At least soon I will freeze to death. He was the commander of the longbowmen for the expedition, but, in truth, he could not stand the brutish, simple-minded grunts that dominated the military.

It was a stroke of luck for him, in this case. He had placed his tent off in the vanguard, far from the temporary military barracks that had caught the worst of the flames. It was a wise move to segregate myself, Leo reflected. The fires had consumed the camp, rising higher and higher to dance with the stars in the dark sky, until someone had put down the mutiny and began to extinguish them. Just as quick as the fires began, they had ebbed and fallen back into smolders in hurried exhaustion. Leo had done some of the work himself - next to him sat an empty bucket, still damp with the melted ice that was used to extinguish his now-singed tent and the ones bordering it. Afterwards, Faron had commanded the men and women to all return into their tents. Even me, Leo noted.

He sat alone now. Leo was surrounded by luxury - a padded chair lined with fur, a Besset rug with a beautiful diamond print, and a warm brazier burning softly in the center. But all of that had not been enough to scratch the itch. In front of him was a parchment, a quill, and ink stored in a curvy glass bottle. They were supposed to be for official messages, but no one was keeping track of the commander’s papers. Leo looked down at the parchment, on which he had finished jotting down a draft. His style was unique. Each word was painted in thick, broad strokes, and each mark of punctuation was a forceful blot, as if the writer was intently fighting the parchment through a sword’s slashes and thrusts.

There was the certain date (The Age of Reclamation, 76th day of Fall, Year 2336), the uncertain events (the fires, the mutiny, the attempted assassination - or so he’d heard), and the flowery language that tied both together (Never before had a wreath of flame served as a warning that winter had finally arrived). Leo looked at it all with a level of satisfaction. And yet, something is missing, he thought. A pungent metaphor, perhaps. Or a satisfactory connection made visible. For a while, he twiddled with the words, crossing some out, replacing others. He reframed and reformed, regurgitated and rambled. Nothing seemed to work. It reads like a summary.

The writer sighed. Leo leaned back onto his chair. He let his mind run and loosened its leash. Is Thesius still alive? The man had been pulled from the brink. Had he gained enough strength to quash a rebellion? Or had another upstart, perhaps Faron, pulled the lord from power? Thesius, prince of Ironhold, would have experienced losing it all, twice. Leo knew what that was like, but only once. At least Faron would remove his head shortly afterwards.

The tent flap lifted. Leo looked at the opening and saw Avery’s handsome face with his curly red locks enter into the tent. He held a small envelope with a brown seal depicting a roaring bear. The boy was composed and useful - he had been promoted in the recent days following the incident with the beast. This was the man that stood against that monster and did not flinch to do his duty. Furthermore, he was literate. That had been a good trait then, but it was not a good trait now. Leo stood up in between Avery and the parchments and took the letter. “From Thesius, my lord,” Avery said. Leo broke the seal with a finger and read it.

The mutiny has been crushed. Valentus and his co-conspirators are dead or captured. Three townsfolk were executed in connection with starting the fire. Gather your men and prepare to march. Winter arrives soon.

Thesius Marcellius

After a moment, Leo passed on the message to Avery. Avery replied with a “Of course, my lord,” and left the tent promptly. As Leo watched Avery leave, he could not help but wonder if that youth, under all his calm, was as fearful as he was for the journey to come.

[WIP]

Turn Actions

Begin to train 3 longbowmen into squires for knights (including Avery). With Valentus' death, there's an empty suit of armor that needs to be filled.

Interrogate living assassin. What does he know about the conspiracy? Is it completely rooted out? What connections does it have to ironhold?

Twist · Oct 3, 2022

CƎNSUS

Foalsfort Population
67

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%100 Children

Buildings/Dwellings
Latrine (Fertilized Garden)
Wall of Torches

Taxation
Village 95% [Collective]

Exports
Main: Lumber (Ironwood)
Minor: Daggers (Poor Quality)

Land
Forest

Revenue
40 Gold, 8 copper

Wealth
93 Gold, 7 Silver, 4 copper

Government
Elected Officials
(Demitri 40%
Marta 20%
Adam 16%
Kahmen 12%
Neeso 9%)

"Bit of an odd one, ain't he?"

Demitri yawned under the cover of trees, shifting his tired gaze to Adam. "Hmm..?"

"Virgil" said Adam quietly, motioning with his head as they watched their junior poke the last few embers of the bonfire "Gives me the willies"

Demitri looked at the thirteen year old boy. Slightly chubby, with clothes two sizes to big for him and wavy, almost curly blonde hair, Virgil looked quite innocent on the outside. But the lad had a permanent scowl, and dark eyes that sent shivers down your spine whenever he looked your way. Which was often, with Virgil seemingly on alert at all times, looking out with suspicion at nearly everything.

Neeso had originally tended the fire alongside Virgil, but after one night with him, Neeso had quickly left him to it. Now the only one who seemed to spend time with him was 'Plum', though the boy sat on the opposite end of the bonfire, far away from their other build and casting his own glances.

"Well he's good with the fire." remarked Demitri, rubbing his eyes "And Virgil has proven very dependable"

Demitri remembered standing alongside the thirteen year old, not days ago, facing down a monster. While Demitri had been worried about Marta, Virgil had appeared to him to offer information. Information that had led to the finding of a strange trail, and a shocking revelation that encompassed the whole of Foalsfort. As beyond that trail was the home of the terrifying Mother, who had spirited away the children of Foalsfort to replace them with her own insatiable brood. While Virgil had fought valiantly to allow the captive children's escape, Demetri had floundered in the encounter, waving his weapons with ignorant abandon with only fortune throwing the embers of his torch upon her. Or perhaps misfortune as the flames hungrily consumed her.

Something he deeply regretted. And the cause of his self induced insomnia.

Letting out a mighty yawn, Demitri was hastily pushed into the bushes by Adam lest they attracted Virgils ire. "Shhhh!" Adam scolded, pressing his finger to his best friends lips.

"Sorry" muttered Demitri, rubbing his eyes.

"Why are you doing this to yourself Demitri? Every day you're either out hunting with Neeso's lot or helping Kahmen with the tents. When was the last time you got some sleep?"

Sleep was the furthest thing from Demitri's mind. Whenever he closed his eyes, all he saw was flames and his recent failures, the grey faces of helpless children burnt into his brain.

Returning home after their meeting with 'Mother', Demitri's group and the lost children had returned to find their fellow's in disarray, 'Mother's' children, the captives copies, now revealed to them all. Fear permeated the camp, quickly becoming anger, a fury that could not be quenched. Even with Marta's plea's and Demitri's own reservations, the children of Foalsfort were having none of it and so Demitri had taken it upon himself to quell the riotous rabble, promising swift retribution. A retribution that never came, as the stable hand secreted them back to their cavernous home in an attempt for an eventual integration and an understanding.

Adam came to know the secret, when all attempts to help by Demitri and Marta, the first to know the secret, had failed, providing the sorrowful poison to which Demitri had given the creatures to peacefully end their lives. It was at their burial site, known only to Marta and himself, that Demitri had chosen to 'hunt', though his attempts to do so were unabashedly hollow.

Demitri yawned again, covering his mouth with his balled hand and offering only a simple shrug. Adam scrutinised his friend for only a moment before coming to the realisation of what ailed him. "Ahh" said Adam, looking at him, knowingly "Still punishing yourself ey?"

Adam helped Demitri to a sitting position behind the bush, sitting down beside him. "Nothing that happened that day was your fault. In fact everyone is grateful for what you did. For both sets of children.."

Demitri said nothing.

"Well I guess it wasn't all you. I did shepherd and lead the children home after all"

Demitri was not so tired as to not roll his eyes at the comment, Adam grinning cheekily before he bumped his friend with his shoulder. After a few moments, Demitri spoke in but a whisper.

"But I was the one who robbed them of their mother"

Adam quickly retorted "Yeah, because she kidnapped our friends"

"I could have at least try reasoning with her, get her to release them peacefully"

"Was this before or after she attacked you"

Demitri's shoulders sagged and he went quiet, unable or unwilling to offer a response.

Adam sighed "Demitri, I'm just as to blame as you are. Don't forget who gave you the 'you know what'"

He looked to the heavens, as Adam contemplated his own part in the event. He could Demitri stifle a yawn before he spoke.

"But I'm the one who...."

"Your the one who did all he could, Demitri. Nothing less, nothing more" answered Adam adamantly.

Looking at his friend, Adam knew this was something Demitri had to follow through with by himself. No matter what Adam said or did, Demitri would still dwell on the matter until he himself came to some internal resolution. Adam got to his feet.

"I would say stop beating yourself up but I know you're going to regardless, just try to get some sleep please"

He squeezed Demitri's shoulder and went to leave, stopping as a quiet voice whispered to him.

"Thank you Adam"

Leaving the brush, Adam lingered by the treeline as he thought of the warring Demitri. Letting out a sigh, he heard Demitri's voice behind him and the rustling of leaves.

"Actually Adam before you go, I wouldn't mind your help on something..." asked Demitri

Adam looked at his tired and sombre friend. "I'll help" he easily offered, a glint of mischief in his eyes "As long as you swear to get some sleep afterwards"

Turn Actions:
The hunter (Neeso) and Demitri will hunt larger animals, their Furs being used to line/ cover the buildings of Foalsfort where upon they will be overseen by Marta. Tents will be moved closer to the central bonfire as well. (Poor Quality Daggers used) (Unnamed Sword (Spear Form) used).
If applicable 'Mothers' cage will be used and baited (small game/ flora) to lure in prospective prey with the Herbalist (Adam) using his knowledge to attract and dull the prey within. The Tinkerer (Kahmen) will reinforce the cage if she is not busy with the next action

A canopy/cold frame will be made over the garden, with the beds line with small stones and covered in mulch and dead leaves to hopefully preserve the garden through the winter. Larger vegetables or plants will be covered by fur blankets if applicable. Kahmen and Demitri will help in the build (Poor Quality Daggers used) (Unnamed Sword (Hammer form used)

Cosmo · Oct 3, 2022

Claimants of the Forsaken Lands Turn 4
Winter Month 1

Winter has come to the Forsaken Lands. Winter is, generally, the roughest time of the year. Most of the people will spend their days huddled in doors, with their families, surrounded by fires. Only the largest, and wealthiest, caravans continue to travel in this time so the price of any caravan purchases are also much higher then they otherwise would be. Sickness tends to spread very rapidly in this time of year, so extra care must be taken to avoid it as a sickness that grows rampant can fill a graveyard far faster then any foe. As Winter goes on, this will tend to get worse as the snows start to fall heavier, it gets even colder and food becomes more sparse driving things that tend to stay secluded in the wilderness into the towns and villages to prey on fresher meat.

[In Winter, negative events can happen on a 1-2. On Month 3 of winter [turn 6], it'll be 1-3 with high odds of it being something that causes plague, sickness or damage to food stores].

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

Helbaron

Winter had come to Helbaron and with it most of the activity in the village had come to a stop. There were still laborers who wrapped themselves in their warmest clothes to brave the snow to continue work on the construction projects, but by and large, most of the people remained in doors. Tegbaron's attempted to reach the Shepherds failed [Failed Fellowship Test] and they refused and stayed outside. This would not be the first winter they had spent outside of the village and they had their own ways of dealing with the cold, so it was unlikely they were going to suffer overly much being removed from the village. The winter season did slow down the conversion rate to a crawl as there simply wasn't as much interaction going on for people to spread the good word about the belief of Tegbaron.

The most peculiar thing that the people of Helbaron had noticed lately was fires in the distance, many of them. Like a dozen camp fires all arranged out at once, but who in the world would come out in the wilderness so late in the year?

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

Helbaron Population
426

Cult Members
315 [74% are members of the cult.]

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
100% Human

Taxation
50%

Resource
Sheep

Terrain
Hills

Current Projects
200 (80 gold used so far) gold for infrastructure [43%]

Normally the work on the buildings, themselves, would be going much faster then the work on the roads, but now that that the work is being divided between this and the hospital, work is going very slow. While both are being worked on, progress is not split with most of the work being down on 'setting up' the new project.

100 [30 gold used so far] for a winter hospital along shelters and winter provisions [15%]

Winter provisions aren't really hard to secure as the peasantry already has their own, so creating a stockpile for the town is really just the treasury of its leader, Tegbaron as most of the treasury is made up of crops that have been preserved for trade anyways, so the rough estimate of how much winter provisions they have should the worst occur is just.. the treasury amount. Most of the people don't truly understand what a 'hospital' is, but mostly just assume it is going to be a separate building farther away from the town where those sick can be sent and kept away from everyone else to die in solitude. How many of them will do this is another matter as the love of family is strong and the belief that one should stay and help their family is equally strong, so they'd likely need a good reason for why this hospital is any better. Work on the hospital and additional shelters proceeds exceedingly slow. There is already a major construction project going on in Helbaron, and now the work is being divided between the two.

Revenue
33 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Copper

Upkeep/Expenditure
100 Gold

Income
- 66 Gold, 6 Silver, 5 copper

Treasury
831 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Copper

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Foalsfort

Life for the standard kid of Foalsfort seems to have, more or less, settled down after the horrible run in with the 'Mother' and her spawn. Many of the youngest members, those who were abducted, are now terrified of the dark, being trapped in the pitch black cavern for days, and so are extremely grateful that the tents are being moved closer to the firepit so they'll always have light. Many of these children have taken to sleeping either together or trying to sleep with those they feel comfortable and safe around such as Marta, Adam and Demitri. It is a question if these children will ever fully recover from their mental scars, but they seem resilient and through time and with care, they should return to their normal hyperactive selves in time.

Not many of them talk about the month prior and what happened, although, true to form, some of the older children, typically boys and typically of the hunting group, brag about how they weren't scared and how they would have handled it, but outside of such 'lockeroom' bravado, most seem content to forget it that are able. Hardly surprising, fear and desperation can do horrible things to even adults who are prepared for it, much less children who should never have to be faced with such dilemmas.

'Mothers' Cage, as some of the council members have dubbed the cage, worked well. Kahmen was able to reinforce it with more ironwood and using her sticky sap, she was able to help Adam adhere dead leaves, grass and other things to it to help conceal it. The bait Adam put in it did seem to work as after a few days, they discovered a 'deer', or, well, they thought it was a deer, but Neeso pointed out that it was, in fact, an antelope. Of course, that was about as far as his knowledge went, but in the typical fashion of the young, he took great pride in knowing and sharing what he knew and they didn't. Still, the cage worked and Kahmen believes she can create more if they wanted to set up more such traps around the forest to try and capture more large animals [May use an action to build such traps, will improve hunting].

Even better, Kahmen was able to use the tendons of the antelope, sticky sap, along with some wood, to create a bow! Of course, as the bow was made with very crude tools, the bow itself is crude, but it is, indeed, a bow. If more such traps are built, Kahmen can likely build as many bows as they want. [Note: These bows aren't the best, being Damage 1 and having the 'Poor' quality, -5 ballistic skill, however these bows will still hit about as hard as the wooden knives with the added bonus of being able to stay out of melee].

In addition, using the 'sticky sap' she made for the tents, and the tendons of the antelope, she has discovered how to make Shields. She believes she can line them with fur to make them even tougher. [If you make shields without fur, they will be 'poor', be destroyed if they successfully parry anything but cost nothing. If you use fur to line them, they will count as Normal but they will cost 2 gold for each you make, and you must build the cages first].

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Foalsfort Population
67

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%100 Children

Foalsfort Council
Demitri (40%)
Marta (20%)
Herbalist Adam (16%)
Tinkerer Kahmen (14%)
Hunter Neeso (9%)

Taxation
Village 95% [Collective]

Resource
Lumber (Ironwood)

Terrain
Forest

Current Projects

20 [20 Gold Used] for Insulating and Consolidating Existing Structures [100%]

As the shelters of the children tend to be little more then bound sticks and logs, moving them is not particularly hard to do. In fact, with the older kids working all day, moving them closer around the central bonfire can be done in a few days. It would have been one, but the youngest of the children insisted on helping and so what had started out as work had quickly turned into keeping them from underfoot and that turned into just enjoying the rest of they day with a few games and chatting. Still, that had been a much needed rest day considering what had happened prior. The only true work and 'expense' this had was using their gathered furs to cover them which took a bit to figure it out, but luckily, Kahmen was to the rescue creating some sort of sticky 'sap' mixture that let them adhere the furs to the sticks. The rickety stick homes now resemble more akin to proper tents.

The work on the garden was attempted, but no matter what they tried to do, it only seemed to make it worse. During the first snow, the winter canopy collapsed down and so the garden became swamped with snow, what plants had survived quickly died [Rolled a 100 on a d100, crit failure]. It seems if they were to keep the garden going through winter, something more would need to be done, but Kahmen had yet to come up with a solution to this pickle.

Completed Projects
Latrine (Fertilized Garden)
Wall of Torches
Insulated Homes

Revenue
13 Gold, 4 Silver, 2 Copper

Expenditure/Upkeep
-40 Gold, 1 Silver
[As you are a 'Collective', the children have not prepared their own food, and will instead be eating the 'stocks' saved up. So your treasury. They are currently eating 20 gold and 1 silver a month. This is a rationed amount, and small, but as everyone is children, this isn't the worst]

Income
-26 Gold, 7 Silver, 8 Copper

Treasury
65 Gold, 9 Silver, 6 Copper

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Icewick: Into the MountainHome

Thesius and his expedition have entered the fallen MountainHome, said to have been taken over by.. something in the ancient times when they dug too deep, too greedily. Narsin has agreed to lead them through it, to one of the exits at the base of the mountain, but when questioned, she confesses she has never been through it herself. She merely knows that it does lead through and plans on using her rather sharp senses to lead them through it. Probably not the most inspiring of answers, but Narsin had yet to fail, so perhaps it was not the worst of answers. The expedition was no longer a 'settlement', but a caravan. Moving as one through the massive caverns and halls of the MountainHome after entering the great gates that no doubt once stood strong and proud. The halls were pitch dark, no light save for their own torchlight and campfires when the stopped to rest. They could occasionally make out massive braziers high above them, resting near beautifully carved pillars or arches where fires used to be. Fires that would have lit up the entire MountainHome for as far as the eye could see. to be in a MountainHome would have been a novel experience for anyone, but especially so for the people of Ironhold who tended to keep to themselves and did not even believe in the tales of monsters that prowled the ancient forest and dungeons of the world. Each pillar they passed, each mural they found, was a work of art. Crafted by hands far more skilled then the clumsy paws of man. A man could almost loose themselves tracing the intricate works of the dwarves who once lived within this spiraling place... If only the darkness wasn't so oppressive. If only noise didn't seem to echo and distort in the long tunnels. If only the knowledge that millions of tons of rock was right over their heads just waiting to fall wasn't always lurking in the back of their minds, they could have enjoyed it more.

The frosty top of the mountain had provided some resources, such as meat, furs and the root vegetables, but here? Here they had nothing, well, almost nothing. Narsin had quickly discovered a race of blind, pale rabbits that turned out to be fairly easy to catch and good eating, but no sign of any mushrooms or other edible plants and because of how sparse the mountains had been to them, Thesius had little choice but to open the larder and subsidize the meals of the people to offset what little food they had. The rationing was fairly strick, but at least it was much warmer here then out there. In fact, now that they were out of the Frostbite, his leg made a full recovery [You passed the Toughness test last turn, and so are healed. If you had failed, you would have tested again at -20. A failure here would have meant burning a fate forever or losing the leg in amputation, so good pass last round].

Still, something wasn't right about these halls. And it wasn't just because they were rather foreboding and the men of Ironhold were not used to being unground. There were.. noises. In the deep. The men and women could not help but feel they were being watched. Likely nothing more then paranoia and superstition, but Narsin approached Thesius one 'night' and told him she believed something was watching and following them. She had not discovered what, but she could smell it.

And it smelt rotting.

[I'll DM you about the questioning later]

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Icewick Population
423

Demographic Breakdown:
50/50 men and women
%14 Elderly
%25 Children
%61 Adults
-
100% Human

Taxation
50%

Resource
None

Terrain
Mountain

Completed Projects
Collapsible Fur Tents [20 gold spent]

Revenue
30 Gold, 6 Silver

Upkeep/Expenditure
107 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Copper
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance)

Income
-77 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Copper

Treasury
242 Gold, 6 Silver, 5 Copper

Military
7 Knights w/ Warhorses
3 Squires
32 Longbowmen

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Nehekara

Winter has come to Nehekara. Winter is not a bad time in the desert as day times are surprisingly pleasant. Sickness is not as prevalent in the desert winters as they are elsewhere and snow isn't an issue they have to worry about. Still, winter isn't the best time around as while the days are now pleasant, the night temperatures are quite frosty and so kills most planets that are growing along the oasis, in fact, if the oasis is looked at, during the right time of night, ice can be seen growing across its surface destined to melt once the sun rises once again. The Saltmongers are no longer working either as it is no longer hot enough to evaporate the water faster then it slinks back through the stone and into the ground. While some efforts are made, it is mostly by the poorest of the Mongers, if one can imagine such a thing, but by and large, they, along with the farmers, are at home with their families as they wait out the winter. In most places, crasftsmen also find their jobs not paying as well as people have less money to make purchases and so their skills often go unused, this is especially true for Nehekara as the Caravans are no longer coming. While in other parts of the world, only the largest caravans travel, the desert isn't so bad in winter and so caravans do not stop their trips, but they are all avoiding Nehekara. The copper and turquoise veins are still untapped but could be a valuable resource to start collecting.

The caravans are avoiding Nehekara because news of the murder of Nithra has spread fairly wide in the Caravan circles as Nithra was a fairly well-known, an wealthy, caravanner. While Nehekara may have had their reasons for doing it, the world at large isn't so understanding of their situation. They see a murdered trader who was killed in cold blood while working a preestablished contract. Nehekara is seen as a bandit stronghold where they will kill and rob any who come to close, and for those that don't believe that, they are unwilling to take the chance that the news is wrong and test that theory for fear of being added to the tally. However, the Saltmongers are incredibly happy, some taking the time to stop by the impaled head of Nithra to spit on it or the ground before it. For the foreseeable future, unless something changes, they are willing to trust Arakis and follow his lead.

Construction on both the Training Grounds and School of Magi are completed. [You may now use actions to research spells]. Despite Arakis never having much luck with the whole 'talking to people' thing, his attempt at recruiting Anubite and Humans into the militia went surprisingly well. He was able to get his point across of the town being vulnerable and that the people should be trained to defend it to ensure another Nithra can never come and take advantage of them. As such, a decent chunk of the adults of the village signed up and agreed to be trained by the Waabooz. [Passed Fellowship by 1 Degree].

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Nehekara Population
415

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
40% Anubite/60% Human

Students
Nailah [Anubite]

Taxation
50%

Resource
Salt Fields
Copper (Turquoise)

Terrain
Desert

Current Projects
5 [5 gold used] for a Training Ground [100%]

Training Grounds aren't difficult to do especially when they live in a desert so have ample 'flat' land to utilize. Some obstacles are created for endurance and strength training, some of the valuable straw they grew prior is turned into dummies both for melee and ranged, and a well is dug to tap into the underground water [but not the saltmonger water] to ensure those who train under the heat do not die of dehydration. The Training Grounds are nothing fancy, but they do the job of letting people train, so the Waabooz should have no issue training the militia. Training will be done in batches unless the training grounds are expanded to allow for more to be trained at once.

Completed Projects
School of Magi
Training Field
Repaired Saltmonger Rakes

Revenue
237 Gold, 8 Silver
(+211)

Upkeep/Expenditure
-225 Gold

Income
12 Gold, 8 Silver

Treasury
327 Gold, 8 Silver

Military
100 Untrained Militia

Melian's Desert Rangers
10 Tatou Riders
25 Waabooz Warriors

Military Training
First batch of Militia in 3 turns.
Nailah advances in 6 turns.

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LightHome

Winter has come and the mountains are cold. Because LightHome is situated in the mountains, ti will be colder, they will receive more snow which means there is a much greater chance for sickness and disease for LightHome. Dwarves are naturally hardier then humans, so it may not come to much, but they are still vulnerable to sickness and disease regardless of being a bit more resilient then others. As the cold has settled in, the farmers, of what little farmland LightHome had, is gone for the year, so income will not be gained from farms. However food isn't likely to be an issue as LightHome still has access to stonebread which, much to the deep seated dismay of everyone, can grow year round safely in the tunnels of the mines. LightHome isn't going to be as effected by the winter, in terms of their economy, as many other villages as now that the wrought iron refinery is built, the majority of their income now comes from the mines [with some assistance from the timber]. So while the loss of the farms will be felt, it is still likely to be a profitable winter. However care should be taken if any large projects or purchases are to be made as the mountains are treacherous in the winter and only the largest, or truly insane, caravans will risk being trapped in snow storms to visit those that live there.

The winter celebration went well, the people's spirits are high and everyone is hopeful for the future, especially the iron ore finally being turned into something almost worthy of respect, Wrought Iron. It isn't true steel, but as that would take some coal crucibles, that is seen as 'okay'. After all, Wrought Iron was still valuable and highly sought after. If Logrim had a mind, he could start setting up a weapon or armor shop and have that iron turned into weapons and armor which would sell for far, far more then the iron itself. [Restriction on poor to normal quality gear still applies].

Thanks to the celebration, that went rather well, the people's spirits are high and this can be utilized in one of two ways:

1. Gain a reroll to any roll you wish to make. This reroll will last until used. You must remember you have this as I almost certainly will not.

2. Double the iron income for a single turn.

Decision Point
The caravan who brought the cats and dogs, also brought a few 'war hounds' that can be purchased and trained. These war hounds are very large and exceedingly muscular. They are already trained for war so are ready for use. You can buy a breeding pair to attempt to breed war hounds as part of the military and town defense. A breeding pair will cost 60 gold. Of course, buying two breeding pairs [he only has four war hounds], would greatly increase the rate at which you could get the dogs and cut down on any in-breeding issues [But can also breed them with local dogs as well]. The trader offers a discount and will sell both pairs [4 wardogs] for 100 gold.

There is no penalty for turning this down but this chance is not likely to come again.

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Village Population
450

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 Men and Women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
96% Dwarf
4% Humans

Taxation
50%

Resource
Iron

Terrain
Mountain

Current Projects
200 [6 Gold Used] for Rails through the mines and town [3%]

The rail project hadn't really been worked on yet. Instead, the laborers had decided to focus on finishing the Wrought Iron Refinery, so what little labor that could be spared went to the rail network. However, the rail network is looking very expensive. Not just for the carts, but for the actual rails, labor and lumber. A lot of the ground in the town is going to be need to leveled and the stepper sides of the mountain need to be filled and evened out so the carts can be more easily pushed up and over or do not come down with so much acceleration that they threaten to come off the rails or flatten any poor fool who gets in their way. Coupled with the rails eating up a lot of the future wrought iron and the time for the smiths who are already working on a mold to try and make this faster, coupled with the smith having to make hundreds of iron nails to drive the rails and wood into the ground and all the lumber that has to be cut perfectly even, hard to do by hand, so that the rails can lay flat but not against the ground so they have proper support.

The rails won't be automated or anything of the like, so people riding it would probably be riding it for fun [even if they claim they aren't], but the true value will be in moving heavy loads such as ore, ingots and timber around the town using the wonder that is wheels, along predestined paths, over somewhat flat and traversable land, to speed this up. This is especially true in the mines where ore can be brought out, tools loaded in and brought back in a single trip where dozens of dwarfs would have had to lug it out in sacks before. If this is completed, every income source that is applicable will receive a boost, but it'll take awhile.

Current plans are for an extensive rail network that goes just about everywhere, roughly 50 gold in cost could be cut from the cost if it is a rail network that simple goes through the 'main' street of the town to the mines.

30 [30 Gold Used] for a celebration and purchase of animals [100%]

The celebration goes off just fine, the songs aren't quite good as no one is an actual musician so it shapes up to be a bunch of drunken dwarven miners singing ol' mining songs in their tongue, but by the time the singing is underway, most of the people are well fed and had taken a liberal amount of ale and so are quite content to laugh at it. Ales and food are used, but not as much Ale or Food as anyone wanted as a truly grand celebration enough to feed and get four and a half hundred people truly hammered and stuffed would be.. more then the treasury would ever want to pay. Still, there are now small animals running around the town, such as cats and a handful of dogs that have been adopted by the humans.. for the most part. One dog, a small, muscular and grumpy thing was adopted by a Dwarf miner and while no one says it out loud, jokes about them looking the same are abound.

You gain 3 unit of steel a turn [Keep track of your steel!]

Completed Projects
Smelters
Wrought Iron Refinery
Stonebread

Revenue
117 Gold, 6 Silver

Upkeep/Expenditure
-262 Gold, 2 Silver
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance)

Income
-145 Gold, 4 Silver

Treasury
160 Gold, 4 Silver

Military
23 Disgraced Guards

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Azdanur

Winter has come to Azdanur, a large portion of their wealth comes from farmers, and winter has quickly put a stop to that, however luckily for Azdanur, now that the marble is actually turning a profit, their economy will not be crippled now that the snow has come. Still, snow has fallen and the weather has turned incredibly cold as most people stay in their homes, near their fires and bundled up when they can to avoid sickness. The wall is going up and the first batch of militia has finished their training under Gideon, while they are not proper soldiers, at least they know what end of the spear to thrust at the foe and how to properly draw a bow even if they can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn. Still, they are inspired to defend their homes and are certainly better then nothing. Once the blacksmith finishes with the spears, they will even be armed.. with poor spears, but certainly beats the tools they've been using for now.

Kaiden, Alice and Gideon spent some time inspecting the village for people with magical potential, only one person was found in the village with magical potential, and one of their squires had potential as well but that was known [fluff-wise]. Until a place has been created for them to properly train their magic, they will not be able to train in this to unlock their potential however Gideon is confident he can get them ready to go once such a place has been created [Your training reduction will apply to magical study and training]. Such a place would also be very useful for the three of them to enhance their own skills and deepen their connection to the Aether.

It was a mostly quiet time in Azdanur, or, well, mostly. People have begun to appear in Azdanur, farmers who tended to live on the far outskirts only coming in to trade or train in the militia, bringing word to Kaiden that their family members [All women] have been disappearing at night. It is believed six women have disappeared so far. They haven't been seen since.

Reyna did not create a masterwork this turn.
[Rolled 747, need 900+]

It is winter, you rolled a 2, an event has happened to you. You do not need to spend an action to deal with it, just let me know in discord if you want to handle it or not. You may do it through adventure or auto-resolve.

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Village Population
429

Demographic Breakdown:
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
80% Human/20% Other [Dwarves/Halflings/Other]

Magic Potential
1 Villager [Member of the Militia]
1 Squire [Feel free to pick]

Taxation
50%

Resource
Aether-Kissed Marble

Terrain
Hills

Current Projects
260 [200 gold used so far, estimated final cost will be 400 gold] for Wooden Walls [50%]

The construction of the Wooden Walls continues, it is speed up greatly by the extra money Alice had thrown at it to be used to hire additional laborers, mostly the Farmers who are now out of work for the season as they wait for winter's end. While winter has allowed for more laborers to be hired, it does have its difficulty. The ground is much harder to dig making it much harder to drive the wood into the ground and dig the trenches in front of it, coupled with this, it is so cold that most of the workers have to stop to warm themselves up here and there as snow has begun to blanket the ground. Still, progress has gone very well and half the village is now guarded by a wall. Not much use until the other half is built, but it is a comforting sight.

90 [90 gold used so far] for 40 'poor' spears [50%]

Work on the spears has begun, but the blacksmith is a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work he has ahead of him. A proper weapon smith, probably a large one, will need to be built and staffed if some quality weapons are to be churned out in large enough numbers to equip the sheer mass of militia in any reasonable time frame. Although Alice is helping where she can and has reduced the price by 10%.

Completed Projects
Training Field

Revenue
114 Gold, 9 Silver, 5 Copper

Upkeep/Expenditure
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance)
- 294 Gold

Income
-179 Gold, 5 Copper

Treasury
338 Gold, 5 Silvers, 5 Copper

Military
15 Squires
Chip
17 Hunters
[Similar to militia only they have hunting bows already are a bit more trained)
40 Trained Militia
158 Untrained Militia

[Militia can only be trained further if they are 'hired' and turned into actual soldiers]

Military Training
2 turn for second batch of trained militia
Squires are at their 'max' for training.

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Occiden Marag

The visit of Captain William Bones hadn't been the best, but Occiden Marag had made it through and from what they learned from Ichern, Captain William Bones tended to sail this part of the river, so sooner or later, he would return and so he would likely have to be dealt with, one way or the other. But at least, for now, they were safe. Winter had set in and Occiden Marag wasn't overly fond of winter. Most of their income came from farming, especially, as the water wheels could churn out fine flour for them to sell. Now they relied heavily on fishermen and lumber to get them through. The building of the lumbermill was a good call as that has helped a lot in relieving some of the financial woes of winter. As far as the people of Occiden Marag are aware, the Arling River does not freeze, so at least they can count on that for food if anything were to happen. Still sickness and the gold are a constant concern people need to be wary of as Aetherlings are no more immune to disease then a 'standard' human, but with Ada around, that should help with dealing with any sickness that does rise as she is very knowledgeable in both diseases and how to treat them.

The festival was a roaring success as the people of Ichern arrived, and a fair few of them at that, and they even helped pay for the festival by bringing their own goods and gifts which helped relieve the weight on the village coffers. A large chunk of the people of Occiden Marag converted over fully and embraced the ways of the Aetherlings in light of the success and even many of the people of Ichern seemed open to them. At the very least, Ichern does not seem to be wary of the Aetherlings or their beliefs. As winter comes in, having Ada travel between the Kobolds, Occiden and Ichern could be a god send to stop the spread of disease and cure those that fall ill, but the roads are dangerous and travel in winter can be perilious, so if Ada wishes to keep doing this, she should be wary! In return for the gifts, and Ada's company, Amalthea offered the village a favor. It is hard to tell where the boundary of this 'favor' begins and ends, it is unlikely she is to part with any of her treasures, for instance, but it is a wonder as to what Amalthea would do or what they could gain from this.

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Village Population
416

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
80% Aetherling
19% Human
Less than 1% Kobold [Zuhsa]

Taxation
50%

Resource
Arling River

Terrain
Forest

Current Projects
100 [100 Gold Used] for Festival and Hearts and Minds [100%]
Fellowship passed with 3 degrees

The Festival goes extremely well, many people from Ichern did come to the festival and as per the custom they brought some of their own goods to the festival which helped 'pay' for it. The gifts and goods they brought equaled around 38 gold. While it didn't totally offset the cost, it certainly helped. While the people of Ichern weren't really sure about the whole 'giving to the spirits', Ada was successfully able to link it to similar festivals they have where goods are given to their gods and that they, in truth, weren't so different. Food was had, Ichern even provided music in the form of a young woman with a lovely lute that she strummed and sang as various people danced. This helped both villages become closer and Ada has made inroads in Ichern with spreading their beliefs.

Ada traveling back and forth with a few others to provide aid and gifts was well received. Ichern especially had many sick or in need of help after spending some time under the wizard's enthrallment, especially when it came to mental aid that Ada was able to help greatly with. The kobolds were happy to receive gifts, but as much of it was food and other such things, the kept the lion share, but Amalthea still enjoyed Ada's visits as she always did, happy to listen to stories, even ones she had already heard, as a nice way to pass the time. In return for the gifts Ada brought, even if they were mostly for the Kobolds, Amalthea offered Ada, and Occiden Marag a favor, that they may call in on. Mind this is a favor, so if anything too large is asked, she will reject it, but the favor of Amalthea could be a useful thing to have.

[Gained 1 Favor you can use with Amalthea. Keep track of this!]

In addition, because of how successful the Festival/Interactions were, you may pick one of four options:

1. 2 Rerolls, these last forever until used.
2. Double income from Lumber for two turns.
3. Double build speed for a turn [you may pick when you turn this on]
4. A one time bonus to training/equipment that will finish the first batch of militia.

Completed Projects
Watermills
Training Field

Revenue
108 Gold, 1 Silver
(+38)

Upkeep/Expenditure
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance)
-201
(-73)

Income
-92 Gold, 9 Silver

Treasury
47 Gold, 3 Silver

Military
20 Untrained Guardsmen
20 Hunters
1 Kobold [Zuhsa]
60 Untrained Militia

Military Training
2 turns for first batch of trained Guardsmen/Militia

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

Port Zolond

Winter had come, but luckily Port Zolond rest on the Carrion Sea Coast. The Carrion Sea was a fairly warm sea. Some theorized it was because of an underwater current that kept it from becoming too cold while others claimed it was the influence of the Malestorm upon the waters, either way, it was extremely unlikely for Port Zolond to see snow. The temperature would drop low enough to kill what crops the farmers could, or knew how, to grow, but it wasn't going to ever get cold enough for snow. While disease and sickness was a risk, it wasn't anymore of a risk anymore then it was at any other time of the year. Still, profits of Port Zolond did take a hit as farms made up a respectable chunk of the town income, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been especially with the brewery and tavern both opening up together enjoying a surge of visitors from locals and visitors. If they could find a way to attract larger ships, and a constant flow, of them, they could have something truly great on their hands.

The bay was fully dredged and could be reasonably deduced to now both be clear of whatever was worth taking and was now deep enough for larger ships to come much closer to shore then they otherwise would. Port Zolond still weren't totally sure about all these skeletons and undead, especially the fact that Nym was a dark elf necromancer, a more fitting evil combination was hard to think of, but so far Nym had not done anything to hurt the town, if anything, the tavern and brewery had been a large bonus. The festival that was thrown, and the much less excitable funeral, was also great and helped improve Nym's standings. Port Zolond had a long way to go, but so far, things were looking up.

[Your Brewery will produce a set amount each month, on the first of spring and the first of autumn, every year, the brewery will release spirits to the market which will provide an income boost on those turns.].

Dredging Results
[100% dredged]

The dredging wasn't quite as successful as last time. In fact, some of the skeletons were nearly 'destroyed' when some large creature rose out of the sandbank and tried to devour it. Luckily, the Bone Golem stepped on it.. There wasn't much left of the creature and it was hard to tell if it was intentional or pure luck that the Golem stepped right there when it did. As for 'goods', six more skeletal bodies were recovered. Much like the previous attempt, even those with flesh when under water seemed to almost 'dissolve' as the flesh fell from the bones when they were removed from the sea water. Along with this 36 gold worth of goods was recovered from the bottom. What was surprising was a large chest was pulled from the depths, the Bone Golem able to lift it and bring it out. A chest was odd, a locked chest in the ocean was weirder but a locked iron chest was extremely peculiar. The metal chest is rusted, but it seems to still be shut tight and the lock holds strong. There are carvings in the chest. It has not been opened.

Gained Locked Iron Chest

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

Village Population
420

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
39% Human
36% Orc/Half-Orc
10% Goblin
9% Other
5% Halfling
1% Ogre

Taxation
50%

Resource
Limestone
Beer/Spirits

Terrain
Coastal

Current Projects
50 [50 gold used] for Funeral Rites/Festival [100%]

Despite its reputation for being unruly and rambunctious, during the funeral rites for the unknown children, or possibly halflings, was very solemn. It was hard to tell if it was because the Gilded Blades were there as guards, if it was because the three ogres and a large Bone Golem seemed to also be on watch, or if it was because the people of Port Zolond actually felt some remorse for the possibility of the lives that had been taken that certainly did not deserve to be taken. Either way, the fact Nym showed he would not be using children as undead monstrosities was a welcomed olive branch. If his claims that he would be turning only criminals and such were true, which was a 50/50 as he seemed to be honest but he was a dark elf, then perhaps there wasn't as much to fear as there could be... But then again, it was a dark elf necromancer.

The festival went well! Some houses were damaged, a few doors broken, one man went home with a broken arm, but that was all 'within the line' for a town like Zolond. There was a point where the party almost went too far and broke into a full town brawl, especially with the beer from the new brewery flowing into town, but it was brought back from the brink by Nym and the Gilded Blades and kept from spiraling [Passed Fellowship].

The festival was a success, as such, you may pick one of these options:

1. 2 rerolls that last forever and may use them whenever.
2. Build twice as fast for 1 turn [may select when to use this].
3. Increase personal reputation/trust with Port Zolond.

Completed Projects
The Last Gasp: Tavern/Bordello/Gambling Hall
Brewery

Revenue
133 Gold, 2 Silver
(+36)

Upkeep
-192 Gold
(You only pay them wages, Mercs buy their own food and pay their own equipment maintenance)

Income
-58 Gold, 8 Silver

Treasury
179 gold

Military
42 Gilded Blades
43 Skeletons
[18 Murloc, 25 Humanoid]
3 Ogres
1 Bone Golem

Important Note
Nym has regained all his magic power!

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Nova Empearal

Winter is always a rough time in the mountains, even for Nova Empearal which lies within the slightly warmer Sunswept Mountains. Heavy snow fall is to be expected and sickness and disease are almost certain to follow at some point. Most of the people spend their days indoors, huddled with their families and around fires. Well.. they try. Nova is unlike most villages, the bulk of their income comes from a single source, silver. Very little comes from anywhere else, especially, the small amount of farmland they actually have, so their finances don't see that much of a change compared to many others. Which is great for the coffers, not so great for the poor miners who have to work in the freezing weather, but silver doesn't mine itself. Along with these miners, many farmers had been hired by Araquiel to do some basic laborer and construction work in their off time to try and speed up construction. It did help a lot, but only the smelter was finished as they were divided between many, many projects. Gold is great, but there was only so many hands to go around even if gold was thrown. At least the smelters were finished and now silver ore could be processed into much nicer to look at ingots. This didn't really increase their individual value too much, but certainly made it easier to move which meant more could be moved at a time and so more wealth to be gained. Grensbrook certainly appreciated it as it made it much easier on them to take shipments down to their village for refinement and then to turn them into jewelry.

The Companions of the Grave arrived near the middle of the month, all six of them wearing heavy armor and mounted on their war horses, they struck quite the imposing figures... but they were mostly unpleasant to be around. They tended to boss around the villagers seeing them as little better then peasants, and young women and men have done their best to avoid being caught alone by any of their number.

Rokzog and his caravan arrived, trudging up the snow with the sheer persistence only a mad orc could have. Most caravans stopped in the winter, and those that didn't, tended to avoid the mountains for it became treacherous and could easily trap them in snow, but Rokzog was apparently made of sterner, or more insane, stuff. Rokzog gave Araquiel 24 gold for the charm he took earlier, he did not actually go and sell it, instead, he had 'given' it to a 'friend' and so gave Araquiel a pittance in return.

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Village Population
437

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
90% Humans, 10% Other

Potential Magically Adept Students
1 Human

Taxation
50%

Resource
Silver

Terrain
Mountains

Current Projects
20 [20 Gold used] for Smelters [100%]

The smelters are fairly easy to make. The tricky part comes from getting the charcoal, but that can be made as there are enough trees around to do so. Numerous bee hive like smelters, made of stacked stone, and lit by charcoal line the landscape. Each one slowly melts the silver down into a mold. This does nothing for making the silver, itself, more valuable, but does improve the value slightly, in a roundabout way, by making it easier to transport [ingots being nice and stackable] and so more can be moved at a time.

80 gold [5 gold used] Foundry [1%]

Work on the foundry goes very, very slowly. While Araquiel may have offered incentives to attract farmers to come and work as laborers for extra coin, there was simply more work to be done then there was laborers. They managed to finish the smelters, and get something down for this, but work has barely started. However, another 70 gold will be needed if they want to fully finish the Foundry as it will require some specialized equipment brought by the caravans to smelt and refine the silver. The Foundry, once purchased, is capable of refining other metals as well.

150 gold for (71 used so far) for a Magic Academy [71%]

Construction of the Magic Academy continues, the outside of the academy is now finish and work has begun on the interior, the flooring, setting up the rooms, furnishing them, etc. This is a time consuming process, but the extra hired help works. It is very likely if they were not being torn in many directions trying to do three projects at once, this Magic Academy would be almost finished. Fifty gold was added which is enough to finish a room large enough for Araquiel to begin experimenting with magic [once it is complete], but if he wants a fully functional academy that can train other mages in the art, it will require another 100 gold to finish.

50 [50 used] for Prepare for Winter [100%]

Araquiel wasn't able to purchase much from Cendeb, it seemed it was both a mixture of limited supplies and Araquiel managed to do something, or say something, it was hard to say what he did, that insulted Cendeb, likely some odd custom from the Middle Kingdoms. He was able to get some supplies, but not as much as he'd have wanted. [Crit failure on fellowship]

[Slightly reduces chance of plague]

Revenue
211 Gold, 7 Silver, 5 Copper
(+24)

Upkeep/Expenditure
-346 Gold, 2 Silver
(you don't pay the 64 per turn for the grimblades yet)
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance, you only pay wages for mercs [Rose])

Income
-134 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Copper

Treasury
289 Gold, 1 Silver, 5 copper

Military
6 Companions of the Grave
32 Grimblades [Not here yet]

Heyitsjiwon · Oct 3, 2022

Deafening silence was all that could be heard in the village of Occiden Marag. The sun began to dawn as rays of light began to pierce through the stripped branches of the trees that surrounded the village. People, seeking to stay warm, took an extra minute to get up from their blankets and warmth as they mentally prepared for the cold day. The winter had been gentle so far, but that was no guarantee in the future. Many folk were now finding themselves with extra time now that the fields no longer had to be tended to. They would serve as extra hands for building during the winter. The spirits had at least blessed them with plenty of wood to be able to build and create with. A blessing that Irving would not take for granted, his feet crunched the slightly frozen ground as he left the manor and took a look at the village. The fields were barren and blanketed with a thin layer of morning dew that had frozen over the night. The bounty of the earth had to rest. It became more evident that the village would now have to heavily rely on the river and the trees.

People began to stir as they crunched the ground under their foot. The sound of the lumbermills then began to slowly fill the village. More planks and processed lumber would steadily leave the lumbermill and stockpiled. How could the village profit from this? They could build fine buildings, but that was not a good or service that they could sell. Irving looked towards the river as he watched fishermen begin to cast their rods and nets. It was then that the answer became obvious, ships and boats. A dock or shipwrightry could allow the skilled woodworkers in the village to make small fishing boats for the fishermen to help them fish in deeper parts of the river or anywhere there may be plentiful fish. Small ships and boats could also make transportation down the river safer and faster. They could likely even sell some of these small ships to their neighbors. A proper facility to build ships would also enable the village to consider building larger ships such as longships or barges or even offer travelers and merchants to repair their ships. This construction project would also benefit from the extra labor that the farmers would offer. Feeling satisfied, Irving withdrew to the manor to attend the morning council meeting.

---

In the great hall, Irving sat surrounded with familiar faces. Karl, Ada, and Teresa joined him at the table, but with a guest... one of the refugees from the northern village that was attacked by the giant spider. The group were speaking with the refugee, trying to get as much information that they could from him about the village, and the attack. Details about the giant spider remained sparse, but at least they could find out about the layout of the village, the leaders, the location, and the overall locale. They planned to conduct an expedition to the north to check out the destroyed village, search for anything valuable, but most importantly giant spider tracks and then hopefully track the spider down to its lair. From there, there was still debate if they should try to slay the beast or perhaps appease it by continuously feeding it so that it wouldn't have to stray to the village in search of food. However, now seemed the safest time to approach the giant spider as it was likely in a semi-dormant state if not hibernating.

---

Summary:

1. Construction of a dock/shipwrightry to begin building of small personal crafts for commercial use and enable the production of larger ships in the future. This project is intended to take advantage of the surplus of labor available in the village and the planks/processed lumber that the village produces. This project is given 100 gold worth of materials for its budget.

2. An expedition north to the destroyed north village to examine what happened and attempt to track down the giant spider. This expedition will consist of Karl, 10 Hunters, one of the refugees and Irving.

CaptainSully · Oct 4, 2022

Arakis

The First Victory

Arakis returned to Nehekara at the head of the returning mercenary army. They were battered and bruised but all returned. Their capabilities were far beyond anything that could have been expected and now they would be passing that knowledge on to the people...after some deserved rest of course.

People emerged from their homes sheepishly to observe the returning army, filled with worry if things had not gone to plan. Yet when they caught sight of the severed dragonborn's head gripped firmly in Arakis' head, reactions varied. Some cheered, others sobbed from relief but what they all shared was a relief that the proverbial noose around their neck had been removed. There was concern by rumours that caravans had blacklisted Nehekara but that was concern for another day.

Arakis was not one for gratuitous displays but the head of Nithra needed to be on show if for nothing more than to show the people he was a man of his word. He had first provided the tools requested and now he had given the village freedom to forge its own future, no longer forced to give almost everything to Nithra. It would be difficult to get caravans to return but having taken Nithra's caravan itself, once they had trained fighters then they would be able to start their own trade routes.

Actions Action 1
☥Spell Research | Research offensive spells.

Action 2
☥Create Mine for Copper and Turquoise | Create mine, tools and required infrastructure for the mining of copper and turquoise veins.
Current Stats

Wounds - 14/14

Fate - 3/3

Magic Power 3
☥No Modifiers

Weapon Skill 25
☥No Modifiers

Ballistic Skill 25
☥No Modifiers

Strength 26
☥No Modifiers

Toughness 42
☥No Modifier

Agility 27
☥No Modifiers

Intelligence 50
☥Primary

Perception 45
☥Primary

Willpower 49
☥Primary

Fellowship 16
☥No Modifiers
Notes

Nithra Salt Monger Leader
☥ Green Dragonborn | Information says she is a green Dragonborn so likely has noxious breath.
☥ Moneybags | Has enough coin to be are to afford a small mercenary army.
☥ Guards | Has at least 20 guards.
Core Spells

Glowing Light CV | 3
☥Can cause any item in your grasp to glow with the light of a lantern for one hour or until you let it go.

Sounds CV | 4
☥Create a phantom noise with volume ranging from a whisper to a roar. You can choose the type of noise and the volume, the spell can reproduce any noise but speech. The noise can last 10 seconds.

Drop CV | 4
☥Compel a target to drop whatever they are holding. The subject can resist it with a Will Power test

Marsh Lights CV | 6
☥Create a number of distant lights that could be mistaken for torches or lanterns. They can be sent off in any direction [within 100 yards], they disappear into nothingness if they go past your line of sight. Concentration Spell: You may not cast any other spells while Marsh Lights is active.

Magic Dart CV | 6
☥Bolt of magical force with a range of 16 yards. Damage 3.

Sleep CV | 6
☥Your touch causes an enemy to fall into a slumber for 1d10 rounds unless a successful Will Power test is made. This is a touch spell [must pass a Weapon Skill test].

Aethyric Armour CV | 5
☥Weave the strands of the aether into an invisible barrier to shield yourself. Gain number of armor points equal to the magic power used to cast it for 6 rounds. This cannot be used with actual armor and putting on armor will cause this effect to immediately end

Blessed Weapon CV | 6
☥Can enchant one melee, thrown weapon, or ammunition [up to 5 shots]. These items gain no direct combat bonuses but do count as magical making them very useful against ghost and other ethereal targets. Last 1 hour.

Magic Lock CV | 7
☥Enchant one lock or bolt that you can touch for 1 week. This magic lock cannot be picked or forced open during this time. [Beware, the item, itself, can be broken. A magically locked door can still be smashed apart, etc].

Magic Alarm CV | 8
☥Create a silent alarm on one spot you touch. If a creature comes within 2 yards, you will be mentally alerted instantly no matter how far you are. This will wake you up if sleeping. It provides no identity of who tripped it, only that someone has. You can only have 1 magic alarm at any time. Last until triggered or you cast another.

Heaven

Starshine CV | 22
☥You call down the light of the stars [Can be used in daytime or indoors], the area is illuminated by soft light that reveals all that is hidden. Any darkness, magical or mundane, is banished, the invisible is made visible, hidden or disguised characters are exposed and secret areas (doors, chambers, etc) are revealed. Starshine last for 1 week.

Greater Portent of Amul CV | 18
☥You read signs and divine clues about what the future holds. For the next 24 hours, you gain two rerolls that you may use for whatever you wish. Unlike Portent of Amul, you may use these rerolls to force your opponent to reroll as well. You may not gain more rerolls from this spell until both have been used or expired.

Life

Father of Thorns CV | 14
☥You cause thorns and briars to burst from the naked earth with 48 yards in a wall. Anyone within the area who tries to move through takes a Damage 4 (D10+4) hit. You, and only you, are not effected within this area. The thorns and briars retreat back into the earth after a number of rounds equal to the power dice used to cast.

Woodshape CV | 16
☥You allow a willing creature to take the shape of a tree. The type of tree depends on the character of the individual, a melancholic person may transform into a weeping willow while an evil being may turn into a black oak. The target maintains the form of a tree for as long as they wish and may voluntarily end it at any time. While in tree form, the creature can see and hear as normal and may communicate with you, or other trees.

Illusion

Pot of Despair CV | 24
☥You conjure a black pit within line of sight that has a 24 yard radius. All enemies within believe they are plunging to their death in a bottomless chasm, screaming in terror all the while. They must pass a Will Power test to resist this effect, those that fail are considered Helpless but may take another test each turn. Pit of Despair last the number of rounds as the power dice used. [Helpless opponents may not defend themselves and so are hit automatically in combat. All damage rolls are maxed against Helpless foes].

Doppelganger CV | 18
☥You create a perfect copy of yourself anywhere within line of sight. You can hear and speak through this shadow version of yourself, it can freely move anywhere within your line of sight and you may cast through this illusion. Enemy must pass a Perception Test to decipher its true nature. Illusion last for D10+Power Dice Used.
Magic Items

Staff of Inhotok Bound Spell | Greater Portent of Amul
☥Impact | When rolling for melee damage, roll 2d10 and pick the best.
☥Slow | Opponents get +10% to parry or dodge blows from this weapon.
☥Magical | Magical weapons will never break [outside of the most extreme circumstance] and can hit ethereal units.
☥Spell Storage | You may store a spell within the staff that has a Casting Value of 20 or less. This spell will last forever or until a new spell is stored within. You may unleash the spell within as a free action [which could allow you to cast twice in a round], once unleashed, the staff has a game turn recharge until that spell can be used again.
☥Untapped Potential | Magic swirls in this staff, its essence eluding you. It holds some secret or potency it has not yet revealed.
Character Details

Age: 173 years

Race:
Anubite - Long-lived bipedal creatures whose appearance is far more intimidating than their demeanor.

Personality:
A solemn being who has been wronged and as a result is slowly being eaten away by the urge for revenge. He battles the growing darkness daily, trying to remain on the path that he knows is just and true. He wants to continue to be a role model and benevolent leader to his people.

Skills:
Magic - A key facet of the Archpriest's role is to master the use of magic. Over a century of practice has led to some semblance of skill. He has the capability to use most forms but has a particular penchant for the Heavens, Life and Illusions [Shadow & Heavens] styles of magic.

Potions and Poisoncraft - Sometimes magic needs to make way for more physical means. Archpriest's pass on the knowledge of potions and poisons, meaning they can create cures as effectively as they can develop toxins.

Equipment/Personal Possessions:
Archpriest Staff - Equal parts status symbol and polearm, it is a tribute to the God of God's, Inhotok, leader of the Khemrian pantheon.

Assorted crafting items - An assortment of items to be used in the creation of potions and poisons.

Past/Current Profession: Archpriest to the Pharoah

Family:
His entire family was executed on the night Khaemt turned his world upside down.

History:
Arakis spent the first twenty years of his life learning the way of the priests. He was born under the blood moon and due to custom was believed to be the next Archpriest as chosen by the gods themselves. He was no more than a standard priest until his forty sixth year when the previous Archpriest died after a long, complicated illness. At this moment Arakis felt his entire world change.

He would spend the next one hundred years taking care of the royal family and social elites. Fine tuning his magic to protect them, his potion skills to heal them and poison craft to defeat their foes. He was adored by all but a few and it was they that would see to his downfall.

Arakis awoke in a pool of blood, surrounded by the corpses of the Pharoah and his wife. The chill cries of his only child, Amuhn, roused Arakis from his slumber. His head was blurred and the previous twenty four hours non-existent in his memory. The footsteps of guards charging towards him echoed through the ornate corridors of the palace, he had to run.

As he fled he spotted a lone priest leant against a pillar nonchalantly, a smile forming as he watched Arakis running. Khaemt raised a hand and waved sarcastically for a moment before pointing towards Arakis. He yelled out, "Guards! Guards! The Archpriest has slain the Pharaoh!"

For the rest of that night Arakis did what he could to avoid capture, eventually finding himself in the deep desert. Along the way he had managed to find some of his attendants but they were nothing more than cooks or handmaidens.

After walking for two nights and one day the group found an oasis not far from the River Osht. It was here that Arakis would found Nehekara.

Village Name:
Nehekara - A village of small size that sits next to a lush oasis.

Desired Starting Terrain: Desert

Retinue/Unique Perk:
A small group of faithful and trusting attendants followed Arakis as he fled Khemri. They range from cooks to handmaiden's, servants to initiate priests. He does retain the magical item of his former position, the Staff of Inhotok.

Trektek · Oct 4, 2022

LightHome

Logrim BlazingHand

Turn 4

cPBPSB-VJEowrLYaMb-ebwWe-tKgllKkMEpI4NjccEpIDzAc8tuY8k351T26eXI5mo_NAf--b1oPLH5QH0fHkOviSSexDufOIY_hCApnmyfRoi-zz0WI7Vu4QzDJHIiLbR8EvMujM_MJzQ-1i3g24iCi314mJHNbxiTQFrz5h0eXu5BVmmqYXaUp8g

Prince Logrim was deep in thought, looking over LightHome from his balcony wearing his thick fur coat. The cold from the winter on the outside was much different than the normal cold that proceeded within a MountainHome.

In the long run, he would have to do something about this. Devise a method to help keep as much of the snow away from the town itself within the future and keep much of the surrounding area much more free and protected from the ravages of this dangerous season.

But that would be for another time. For now, he looked out at the slow pace of construction for the railways. It was slow going and would be continuing slow going. But it was something that was worth it, as he had told his Uncle earlier in the day.

—------------------------------------

“My Prince, we could save about 50 Gold from the enormous cost of the 200 Gold required to create the rails to your specifications. It’ll be a huge problem for the budget in the coming months. If we just cut back towards going from the mines through the main street, it’ll be far less labor intensive.”

Logrim waved his hand dismissively. “Bah! Uncle, you think far too small. Do you think that this is just for transportation of the irons and ores? For now that may be the case, but in the time ahead, I plan to eventually have these as much more maneuverable and safer for the population. I plan to make bigger and better transportation on these rails. This is merely the first step.”

Hazzim looked as though he was about to say something, but suddenly thought better of it. When the Prince had that look in his eyes, there was nothing that he could do to dissuade him from his path. It was those sorts of lines of thoughts that made his Father to exile him from the MountainHome.

“....so you see, it will be a most wondrous thing, Uncle. We stand on the precipice of greatness and now is the time for things to begin now that the forges are in place.”

Hazzim gave a slight tug of his own beard. “Yes, my Prince. Another matter to bring to your attention, The caravan that has the dogs and cats for sale also has two breeding pairs of War Hounds. They could help improve our defenses and in the long run, they would multiply very quickly. They are offering a discount for buying both pairs even.”

Logrim’s eyes lit up as his imagination ran wild. “Yes! We shall purchase them. Place Turin and Lila in charge of them. They would do well being put in charge of a command.”

“Right away, my Lord.” Hazzim gave a bow and exited to inform first the caravanner about the purchase and his son and daughter as to their new responsibilities.

—-----------------------

As the Prince continued to look out on his land, he thought about all the things that his coming inventions would bring. Protection, Security. Ease of Life. He would be able to help the nearby MountainHome regain their livelihood and perhaps even manage to change the world.

Would his inventions bring Happiness or Chaos? Only time would tell. They say that there is a thin line between genius and madness.

wMtKZuZ52q2IWpwkAuDl3BvEp38GpNf_wR8UlYOpoEV96zPIhG57m96vo-ZaBzipLRM56gLMmzD8a4G5Duo6O80SDw_qSg56Qfra7qenM2pwBWi0mRwVSzbCPmb9jXsgx2P0Kf9bPJOU_L7SN1i5gCPL_08gFgtZEhaItjVbR9PTeQgfcM6l6V7XVg

Logbook of Dwarven Miner, Boron

Day 98

“The celebration was the grandest one that they’ve thrown in LightHome. Sure it wasn’t the Grandest celebration that I’ve been to, but it was the thought that be counting. And the Prince certainly has the thought for such a dreamer.”

Day 105

“Some cats have wandered into the mines. I keep hearing their howling mewls. They want some milk. Go away kittens. I ain’t got no milk here for ye.’”

Day 114

“Once that cart system is in place, me and the boys are gunna be racing to see who can have the fastest time to make it from the mines to the town. Fastest with a heavy load of ores buys the next round of drinks for the rest of the lads. I be having a fool proof secret in the works. Won’t even be telling you journal.”

1qlqJ7_JM1kiBpY6TRpn_K8-ugj7VzSgjUp1YkD0b8PxT5XWWuFvFyXd-PowNWC-ZvCEI3KEYYX_E43HmvXFVNW17k_lh6mggHnOvHEQof4roxcgy0OmVGWcWLNK5fhECtho5gy9luGPTp_329XftaQAHTAZBpXD0F8YqSBWgh-YxvfVqD8bee9Gig

The Weapon that Could Save A Nation

Logrim was at his workshop. It was time. He had envisioned this creation for many years and now was the time for him to make it or at least give a first attempt on the matter. Now that he has an infrastructure in place, the weapon must be attempted.

He would make sure that he had all the materials and even the appropriate runes for its placements. It would be a weapon that could help protect the settlement. But that would just be the first step.

Its eventual pathway could be a version that would be mounted to a minecart and pushed through into the MountainHome that of SpireHold that belongs to DeadLight. It could be an ultimate weapon against the creatures of the dark.

It could be a salvation of a people.

Possibly his people. If their Lords won’t reclaim their birthright, it would be up to him.

Turn Actions

Action 1: Logrim sets up a Weapons Shop in Town. A few select pieces will be brought to DeadLight to attempt to make a deal with the blacksmith shop there to get in on the business.

Action 2: Logrim will attempt to construct a weapon emplacement that is capable of firing multiple rounds at once. Will use Steel, Rune of Forging and Rune of Accuracy in its construction

Continuing Tasks: Construction of Rails

Kent · Oct 4, 2022

Nova Empearal

Village Population
437 +4 Dwarves

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
90% Humans, 10% Other

Taxation
50%

Resource
Silver

Terrain
Mountains

Revenue
211 Gold, 7 Silver, 5 Copper
(+24)

Upkeep/Expenditure
-346 Gold, 2 Silver
-120
-100
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance, you only pay wages for mercs [Rose])

Income
-255 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Copper

Treasury
69 Gold, 1 Silver, 5 copper

Araquiel watched with a kind smile as Rokzog's caravan set off. Once they disappeared from his sight, his smile also quickly disappeared and was replaced with a sneer and an expression of disgust. Rokzog, the orc, is getting too dangerous.

The next time he will return, he will surely go for Alwyn and Grensbrook, which means war for the entire mountain as he absolutely will not allow the slaver to get his hands on his people. Yes, he already claimed the villagers of Grensbrook as his own, as he intends to unite both villages from the start. It seems that he needs to make preparations.

He called for The Companions of The Grave to accompany him to Grensbrook. He sympathizes with them as both parties are considered 'fallen' but he is a bit unused to the behaviors of these former nobles. He had ample experience with nobles before his fall except all of them cowered before his feet, kneeling and begging.

---

Araquiel returned to Nova Empearal from Grensbrook with the happy news of marriage and the inevitable unity of the two villages. The villagers were happy for him and some volunteered to help Araquiel prepare which he gladly accepted.

Once he finished mingling with the villagers, he approached the four dwarves and asked if they were comfortable. He yet again assured them that they are not slaves anymore and instead free dwarves. In exchange, Araquiel hopes they could maybe settle in the village and help. However, they are free to go whenever they want.

After some small talk, he requested for them to accompany him and survey the silver mines, to see if they could notice something 'more' from it, and should there be none, they will survey the surrounding areas instead to see if they could find other resources.

Actions:
Order 1: Diplomacy with Rokzog and Alwyn

Order 2: Survey the Mines and Mountains

Free Actions: Finish the Magic Academy (Additional 100 gold for the materials). Prioritize the Magic Academy before moving to the Refinery.

Crocodile · Oct 5, 2022

Port Zolond
Turn 4 (Winter)

Winter was finally here. Nym ponders that as he took the trident down from its hooks, hefting it thoughtfully before giving a bit of a savage grin. He was going to be paying a visit to a couple of villages he had leads on to start expanding the reach of his settlement. The first steps were to find resources or outlying settlements to establish a bit more trade and outreach. His first months here were productive. The bay was ready for piers, but he would have to work on building up trading goods. Glass was his current plan but that would be for later to build.

Self sufficiency continued to be his desire as one needed a colony to even profit in any way. The town now had beer and entertainment for the locals, his troops and those who would come to do business. What matters after that was making sure the winter months were perhaps less intense for his people. The main means of achieving that was to get an Alchemist setup to provide some local potions and medicines along with various useful other products like glues and solvents for the craftsfolk in the village.

This had lead to a conversation with the former ruler, Hotpot. The fat halfling was plied with some of the new beer and perhaps the offering of some discounts in the Last Gasp for some shared information. It was distressing to discover a fort of monster hunters were close. These Knights of Dawn concerned him as he assumed they would immediately designate him a target. The good news was the two villages that were close by as well, which was not his focus. Nym could trust his various minions to keep order while he was off trying to drum up business and contacts for the town.

He still was taking some precautions, having the newfound chest secured and tightly chained down with its lock covered to prevent someone from toying with it. He was puzzling over the markings, wary that the chest was potentially a binding vessel rather than any source of treasure. He'd while away the winter deciphering it after he finished playing merchant diplomat. Every coin he could muster for his plans was another coin to put towards an even larger hoard in the future.

All that was left was to go forth with his escorts and hope to strike up some business. Any flow of goods would start the gears of commerce from which his true ambitions could begin.

Festival Outcome
Increase personal reputation/trust with Port Zolond.

Actions
1. Seek out the Grasslands Village and the Coastal Village (Hotpot Leads), bring barrels of beer as good will gifts.
2. Construct an Alchemy Lab (90 Gold)

Free Actions
-Post watch over concerns of Knights of Dawn fort

Twist · Oct 7, 2022

CƎNSUS

Foalsfort Population
67

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%100 Children

Buildings/Dwellings
Latrine (Fertilized Garden)
Wall of Torches
Insulated Homes

Taxation
Village 95% [Collective]

Exports
Main: Lumber (Ironwood)
Minor: Daggers (Poor Quality)
Bows (Poor Quality)

Land
Forest

Revenue
13 Gold, 4 Silver, 2 Copper

Wealth
65 Gold, 9 Silver, 6 Copper

Government
Elected Officials
(Demitri 40%
Marta 20%
Adam 16%
Kahmen 12%
Neeso 9%)

Demitri stood in an open field, the long grass brushing his legs as a gentle breeze rolled down from the hills. A butterfly fluttered by, landing on the stable hands finger for just a moment as if to say hello, before continuing on its way. Demitri couldn't blame it, it was such a lovely sunny day after all, as he watched it leave. In the distance, there was an elegant thump of hooves, with a rate and sound that could rival the finest dancer. Turning around Demitri watched the supple shape flow down the hillside, the powerful muscles and long legs powering the horse towards him. With a smile, Demitri opened his arms up to his favourite horse.

"Winny" he cooed, as the horse pushed her head into his arms, letting the young man hug her neck. Her warm breath, warmed his body and his heart, as he squeezed her tight for what felt like a lifetime. Letting go of her, Winny stepped back and looked Demitri in the eye. Flicking her ear back behind her, she snorted, taking a step to the side. Demitri's smile grew wider, as a small foal was revealed, the stallion to be trotting up to him with eager impatience. Without hesitation, the foal touched it's nose to him, looking him deep in the eye.

As he gazed deeply into the horse's eyes, a voice on the wind called to him.

Demitri

Wanting to stay in this dream, but unable to ignore the voice that beckoned him, Demitri pulled himself away from the horses and his perfect open field.

Demitri

"Farewell" he whispered as the horses slowly disappeared from sight, the field falling further and further away from him as light touched his eyelids.

Feeling a gentle hand brush through his hair, Demitri smiled softly. Opening his eyes, he saw Marta hovering over him.

"Good Afternoon" she beamed, flicking her eyebrow's upwards impishly.

"M..Marta.." Demitri sleepily stuttered.

"Good to see your finally getting some much needed rest" said Marta pulling her hand away as Demitri pulled himself upwards.

She sighed "So I apologize for waking you up but I just thought you and me needed to talk."

Demitri gulped as he got to his feet, his grogginess quickly dissipating as Marta spoke. "About everything that's happened"

"Well, I promised Kahmen I'd help wit..."

Demitri was cut off by one simple word from Marta's lips.

"Please"

And with that, Demitri sat back down, despite his awkward reluctance with his crush as of late.

For the past month, Demitri had done all he could to avoid Marta. It had been nothing personal, it was just with everything going on lately the young lad had not wanted her to worry about him. She held the whole camp on her shoulders at times, well pretty much all the time, so Demitri was not going to add his burdens to such a load. Not too mention, ever since that week he collapsed in her tent, and their subsequent foray's into the forest together to visit 'Mother's' children, living and otherwise, Demitri was started to feel... 'things'... for the Orcish maiden.

"I've noticed you've been avoiding me..." she stated with a meaningful glance, making Demitri freeze. "Every now and then, I catch you in the corner of my eye but every time I turn your gone."

She smiled sadly.

"Always hurrying off somewhere or discussing things with the others but yet.. never with me..."

Demitri's knew what Marta was talking about, he had been avoiding her, hurrying about to keep his mind off alot of his problems lately. And the discussion's Marta spoke of was to not burden her with them though they had not been as helpful as he had hoped.

Confiding in Adam had been easy enough, but to Demitri, it seemed, that he just didn't quite get it. Of course Demitri blamed himself for that, unsure and uncertain of his feelings. Kahmen had been a good sounding board for his problems, listening intently as she worked on her traps, offering no judgement and only a few poignant words about his predicament. While insightful, the words did little to soothe his conscious. And Neeso had been happy to offer his opinion on the matter, plainly, and sometimes bluntly, pointing out why his feelings were completely unwarranted. Demitri regretted having that conversation even now... More so, with Marta beside him.

Demitri's chest tightened, as the realisation of his actions dawned on him. Everything he had done to save her from his troubles, his aloofness, his obstinance, all they had in fact done was make her worry and indeed add to her own problems.

He reached out to the downcast damsel, attempting to utter an apology though her next words threw him slightly.

"Do you loathe me for recommending you for leadership?"

"No! No! No....?"

Demitri had spoke without thinking, hastily trying to console her, though now that she mentioned it, what were his feelings towards his new role?

Looking at the floor, brow furrowed, Demitri in all truthfulness had never thought about it. Though the mantle of leadership had been thrust upon him, the young man had no ill will against it. Instead he had felt a firm sense of duty in regards to the role. Albeit he was nothing special amongst the children, he had been chosen by them to be their leader, so he was going to do all he could for them. It was oddly that simple.

Looking at the waiting Marta, Demitri answered. "I can honestly say no."

Marta's features softened, obviously relieved.

"Though I must admit it is hard at times."

"I'm sure" consoled Marta, the two locking eyes together

"I think you or Neeso or anybody else would be a much better fit as leader if I was really honest."

"But that's where you're wrong Demitri, you have already proven yourself fit to lead. Especially now in the light of the incident with 'Mother'."

Demitri's shoulders drooped slightly at the mention.

"I've talked with the captive children, with Adam, with Neeso, with Virgil"

Demitri's eyebrow raised at the oddity of that last bit.

"And they all speak of your bravery, your kindness, your determination through it all"

Demitri was flabbergasted by what he was hearing. Surely they weren't talking about him.

"But I'm not any of those " he muttered.

How could he be brave when the very thought of those events made him shudder, or kind when all he had done was kill, and he was surely not determined. If he was he would surely have not giving up on his attempts to help 'Mother', or at least her children, and they might still be alive.

"But you are, Demitri. Truly. All these feelings you're having. This doubt, these feelings of regret..."

Demitri grimaced. It seemed Adam had spilled the beans on his insomnia. No wonder, Marta was worried.

"...that's what makes you a good leader."

Marta took his hand, clasping it between her own.

"Because of them I know you will never seek out violence if there is a peaceful option, nor will you rush blindly ahead without considering others. You just can't let them takeover that's al.l"

Demitri looked down, embarrassed and chest all aflutter. Marta giggled.

"But that's just my opinion."

She let go of his hand, and for the next few moments, the pair just sat together companionably within the tent.

"Feel better now?" asked Marta

Demitri nodded, his posture far more relaxed.

"Now don't you wish you talked to me sooner?" teased Marta.

He shook his head jokingly, getting a playful bump in return. "Well I'll let you get some rest"

Getting to her feet, Marta went to make her exit, wishing Demitri pleasant dreams. While plagued with bad dreams and restless nights previously, Demitri had no doubt his dreams now would be good ones. Perhaps he would return to his perfect open field again?

Settling on to his mat, the young man wondered if Marta would be there too...

Turn Actions:
Cages will be built to match 'Kahmen's' Trap, following the original specifications and design for use in hunting (Poor Quality Daggers used). The Hunter (Neeso) will use the bow (Poor Quality) during hunting, to familiarise himself with the weapon.

A cart will be made to house the surviving vegetables from the garden, with the device filled with garden soil as to let the vegetables take root. The cart will be wheeled out during the day (Weather depending) and stored inside a tent close to the fire at night as to not freeze. A fur blanket will be attached to shield the veggies.
The Tinkerer (Kahmen) and Demitri will oversee its build, while the Herbalist (Adam) sorts the veg (Poor Quality Daggers used) (Unnamed Sword (Hammer form used)

Huntertabbysandshark3 · Oct 7, 2022

Helbaron

Large camp-fire in the distance... not good only reason people would brave the winter unless it where shadlings... bandits prehaps.. teg let out a small sigh it would need to be investigated and the hospital explained to the populous.. many could read and thusly none here truly understand the importance of it when it came to illness but that was a matter got another day.. slowly the "god" would leave the village to confront the strange fires.

1) investigate the fires in the distance
2) try to explain the benefits of a hospital in the long term

Dest · Oct 8, 2022

Azdanur

THE LADY OF LIGHT

Rattling chains, cries of pain and hunger, and the sound of death were all that the little girl had known her entire life. She had been born a slave with no free will of her own and she knew that she would likely die a slave just the same, such was the life of one such as her. It wasn't until they came that she felt the first flickers of hope blossom within her, that she first felt something that seemed to fill her with strength and lighten her soul. The day they came had begun much like any other, with a pittance of a meal that just barely kept her alive so long as she wasted nary a single crumb. She had then been herded with the rest of the slaves into the fields to care for the crops as the next harvest approached. It wasn't until the evening that things changed.

The first sign that something was about to happen was the echoing sound of a hunting horn, every one of the nearby guards' heads snapping up to look for the source. The next? The arrows that sprouted from several of them who were in the open with no slaves nearby. The young girl felt something new within her as she watched the men fall and die, some sense of satisfaction she had never felt before. She watched as dozens of men clad in leather and wielding swords stormed the field around her and cut a bloody path through the meager guards. Her heart clenched though as she felt a hand grip her hair from behind.

"Move and she gets it!" one of the final guards had grabbed her and shoved a dagger to her neck, holding her hostage. The girl felt anger, she was this close to freedom and now she was being used to stop anyone else from being freed? She hated this man, hated being under these animals' control, she hated not being free. As her anger peaked, she felt something burning deep within her. Almost as soon as she felt it, it began to course through her body and overwhelm her until she felt as if she was on fire. With a cry of pain she fell unconscious the last thing she saw being a bright and beautiful LIGHT.

Alice shot straight up in her bed with a cry, her hand shooting to the silver ring she wore as a necklace. Tears streamed down her face as she shivered, the long-forgotten memories burned into her mind once more.

'That damned necromancer! I thought I had healed, I thought I was free of these feelings!' the wielder of light forced herself to stand and grab her weapons, leaving the home she had taken as her own clad only in her sleep clothes. She went straight to the training grounds, finding her way there in the dark, and finally let loose all the anger, hate, and fear that she had buried deep within her as light swelled in her eyes.

THE HOME OF FIRE AND STEEL

Kaiden sighed, staring down at the graves that were still being dug in the cold hard dirt. Because of the order's mistakes and the slow speed at which they searched there were two more than there should have been, although there should have been none truly. Turning the one-eyed man continued his walk around the dark village, torch in hand, as he watched for any more kidnappings among the main village. As he approached the end of the route, he began to hear the ringing of a sword and saw flashing light at the training grounds.

"Alice, what's she doing awake so late?" the man muttered to himself, turning and starting the short walk. As he approached, he quickened his pace once he saw how under clothed she was. He was quick to toss his torch to the side and catch her as she started to fall, shivering, into his arms. "What were you thinking!? It's the middle of winter!"

"Couldn't sleep, memories too much," the woman panted out the word, barely able to speak properly. As her sword slipped from her fingers her hand shot to her necklace once more, grasping the ring like it was a lifeline. "Needed to forget."

"Come on, Vivian would kill me if I left you alone now," Kaiden sighed, lifting her in his arms. "I know you miss Maiya, but you can't risk your life doing things like this. You still have those who care for you after all."

"Thank you Kaiden, thank you," Alice leaned against him, trying take in some of his warmth as tears streamed down her face.

Actions
1. Begin construction of a temple made of marble in order to work with magic more

2. Give the eight women who were killed a proper funereal and ceremony in order to honor the village's loss

Current Projects
260 [200 gold used so far, estimated final cost will be 400 gold] for Wooden Walls [50%]
90 [90 gold used so far] for 40 'poor' spears [50%]

Completed Projects
Training Field

Village Population
421

50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
80% Human/20% Other [Dwarves/Halflings/Other]

Taxation
50%

Aether-Kissed Marble

Terrain
Hills

338 Gold, 5 Silvers, 5 Copper

Very heavy and cumbersome armor, built for an Orc. Will get -20% agility for any non-orc that wears it [-10 for an orc] counts as Armor Point 4.

A very large, but well made, axe. This axe may only be used by someone with a Strength of at least 40%. The user will have -5% agility, but have +1 Damage. This has Slow and Impact.

9 Unused Swords/Axes/Maces
8 suits of gambeson
6 crossbows
3 suits of chainmail

Medium armor, [Armor Point 3], seems to be a masterwork and you can't fathom who'd leave it behind. As a masterwork, it will not hurt your agility.

15 Sergeants

Gavron, Arietta, Forgrin (Magic Capable), Shawn, and Godiva

Aurem, Dolf, Eliza, Rodrick, and Kirsten

Dave, Halley, Patric, Townley, and Marvelle

Chip
17 Hunters
[Similar to militia only they have hunting bows already are a bit more trained)
40 Trained Militia
158 Untrained Militia (1 Magic Capable[Fire])

Cosmo · Oct 9, 2022

Claimants of the Forsaken Lands Turn 5
Winter Month 2

Winter has fully settled in to the Forsaken Lands. All areas, save for the desert and coastal, are covered in snow and likely will be for the foreseeable future. Travel is becoming harder and being outdoors carries the risk of sickness and disease. Caravans have mostly stopped traveling, only the largest brave enough to continue, and so any attempts to purchase supplies or equipment from them will come with a larger price tag, a 'mark up', to reflect the natural scarcity of this time.

The winter is now half over, however, the next month will be the 'peak' of winter, disease and negative events will be very likely, do your best to prepare for what may come.

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Helbaron

Helbaron had so far been spared any major issues, in fact, the biggest issue they've faced yet was a sand tremor which Tegbaron had easily dispatched with an ease that was almost startling. The Shepherds were losing influence, in fact, there was only a single core of die-hards left pushing the agenda while the rest were content to live 'at a distance' with Helbaron but keep the peace. The hospital was built and despite his best efforts, the people of Helbaron really weren't sure what its purpose was outside of a place to put the sick so it didn't spread, but that didn't make much sense, everyone knew people got sick because of their humors, separating them would do nothing! Still, he ordered it built, and so it was built.

In other news, the weather was getting colder and colder, as more and more snow fell, and soon, the worst month of winter would be upon them, but as luck, and the gods, were smiling on them, perhaps this season wouldn't be so bad? ... Perhaps.

Tegbaron, spotting the campfires in the distance, went to approach them to find out why they were there. Were they a caravan? Bandits who would need to be scared off? Some lost villagers or refugees? As Tegbaron approached, he noticed they were rather well armed and armored, they looked more like mercenaries then anything and they were prepared for a fight. Even as he approached, they were preparing their equipment, arming up and getting ready to set out, but where were they going? To hunt a monster, perhaps? Did they not know he had already dealt with the monster? Still, with them being so prepared, they could be wary of an attack so Tegbaron did not wander directly into the camp [Perception Test Passed]. But he could certainly help, maybe even get them to stick around as Helbaron was woefully undefended outside of himself. As he drew nearer, to try and hail the guard, they spotted him. The guard let out a shout of alarm and mercenaries began to pour out of their tents, weapons in hand. Crossbows began to rise in his direction [Intelligence Test Failed]. Too late, did a memory come back to Tegbaron. A memory.. of rumors that the more die-hard shepherds were spending all their coin on hiring mercenaries to kill him... To 'save the village'... Oh. Shit.

[[Event in discord! Tegbaron must fight for his life against mercenaries hired to kill him!]]

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Helbaron Population
426

Cult Members
315 [74% are members of the cult.]

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
100% Human

Taxation
50%

Resource
Sheep

Terrain
Hills

Current Projects
200 (80 gold used so far) gold for infrastructure [43%]

Construction Paused.

100 [100 gold used so far] for a winter hospital along shelters and winter provisions [100%]

With work on the infrastructure paused [Will need to spend an Action to resume construction], the workers, including farmers who had been hired to come in from their farms to earn a bit of coin, began work on the hospital in earnest. They still did not truly understand the purpose behind the building, despite Tegbaron's best efforts to explain [Fellowship Failed], but if the god wanted it built, they'd build it. If it truly did help against sickness or not, well, that mattered less then the fact it was to be built. The structure was made of wood and built separate from the village, itself. It had numerous rooms and beds including closed off rooms for 'examinations'. The hospital was large enough to hold dozens of villagers if it came down to it, although hopefully, it wouldn't need to be.

Completed Projects
Hospital

Revenue
33 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Copper

Upkeep/Expenditure
-10 Gold

Income
23 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Copper

Treasury
854 Gold, 9 Silver

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Foalsfort

It was cold in Foalsfort, but luckily, the larger homes near the central bonfire has done incredibly well at keeping the children relatively warm. It was still fairly miserable, but at least the children had each other to see them through the worst of the cold and discomfort. There wasn't much food being given for meals, which could come back to backfire if sickness settled in, but it was a necessary evil to stretch their limited supplies. IF they could just make it one more month without sickness, things should vastly improve once Spring arrived. Adam and Demitri worked on a means to try and save what remained of the garden, and unbelievably [Passed a -10 check], they actually managed to do it. It was far from enough, barely a fourth of the output as normal, but it was far better then nothing as Adam had, somehow, managed to save many of the veggies from the cold. Bringing the cart in and out for the weather, and keeping it covered and warm, seemed to work for the most part. Considering how awfully the last attempted had gone that should have absolutely destroyed all of the vegetables, this was a massive improvement.

This was compounded by further good news as Kahmen had a few more 'recipes' under her belt, her tinkering seemingly paying off very well. Not only did she discover how to turn the furs into clothing and armor [Will have to pay 5 gold per fur armor you make], she also managed to teach two others how to do what she does. [You have TWO kids you can specialize. Feel free to DM me their names, if you wish, and what specialization you want them to have]. Coupled with the cages, Demitri and Adam managing to salvage the garden and Kahmen making such progress? This month was shaping up to go very well, there was nothing that could threaten this. Surely.

... Well.. mostly. There was one issue that had arisen. It seemed their traps had, very, very briefly contained something large and angry that had torn its way free of the cages and was now loose nearby. It was likely this creature was incredibly disgruntled with their attempts at capture and care would need to be taken when venturing into the woods as one could only wonder what large beast this was.

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Foalsfort Population
67

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%100 Children

Foalsfort Council
Demitri (40%)
Marta (20%)
Herbalist Adam (16%)
Tinkerer Kahmen (14%)
Hunter Neeso (9%)

Taxation
Village 95% [Collective]

Resource
Lumber (Ironwood)

Terrain
Forest

Current Projects
20 [20 Gold Used] for Kahmen's Traps [100%]

Numerous large traps were placed around the forest, the placements picked by Neeso based on tracks and patterns he has noticed in some of the larger animals with bait added by Adam. These traps will help the hunters bring home meat and fur and there is a possibility each turn to capture something unique. The unique creature could be something the village could tame, or could offer a unique resource or sudden burst of 'supplies' from its harvesting. There is also a chance they trap, or annoy, a large dangerous creature.

Completed Projects
Latrine (Fertilized Garden)
Wall of Torches
Insulated Homes

Revenue
21 Gold, 2 Silver, 6 Copper

Expenditure/Upkeep
-40 Gold, 1 Silver
[As you are a 'Collective', the children have not prepared their own food, and will instead be eating the 'stocks' saved up. So your treasury. They are currently eating 20 gold and 1 silver a month. This is a rationed amount, and small, but as everyone is children, this isn't the worst]

Income
-18 Gold, 8 Silver, 4 Copper

Treasury
47 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Copper

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Icewick: Bowels of the MountainHome

The MountainHome was still as dark and oppressive as ever. Some of the people couldn't help but marvel at the sheer scale of such a place. They had been walking through the dark tunnels for nearly a month and yet it still kept going. It seemed almost endless, how could anyone build such a place? A place that went so deep into the rock, a place that had such beautiful carved walls and immaculate floors.. Even after years, perhaps centuries, of abandonment, the place was still so well preserved. The dwarves who built this place were truly masters of their craft.. But there must have been thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of dwarves living in this place. The idea that something could have chased them from these halls was a terrifying one. So far, they had managed to avoid stumbling upon anything foul, but it was hard to say how long their luck would last especially with so many women, children and carts rumbling along the halls.

Nasrin took the lead, as she often did, scouting ahead and finding the correct paths to take. Well, everyone hoped it was correct as most of the tunnels looked very familiar and their only guide was someone using nothing more then instinct and her nose... Not exactly the most inspiring of methods. Were they going up? Down? Straight? It was hard to say, the tunnels were almost disorientating and some of the people were having night terrors as the constant darkness and isolation began to eat away at their sanity. Some woke up screaming in the night while others broke down crying, missing the sky. Humans, it seemed, were not meant to live under a mountain, away from the outdoors and the sky, for such long amounts of time, although there were a handful that seemed to enjoy it.

For those that were close to their wits end, the picking up of the pace was good, and more over, the fact Nasrin was able to keep up with this new pace, never seeming to become overwhelmed or confused on direction, helped immensely. It was a wonder how the woman did it, it was almost unnatural. With the doubled pace, they are confident they could reach the exist soon [Next turn, you will reach the door and can exit assuming nothing happens]. But all was not well. The scouts sent to keep watch on the back are sure something is following. They were not able to see what it was [Failed Perception], but something is coming....

And it is gaining on them.

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Icewick Population
423

Demographic Breakdown:
50/50 men and women
%14 Elderly
%25 Children
%61 Adults
-
100% Human

Taxation
50%

Resource
None

Terrain
Mountain

Completed Projects
Collapsible Fur Tents [20 gold spent]

Revenue
30 Gold, 6 Silver

Upkeep/Expenditure
107 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Copper
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance)

Income
-77 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Copper

Treasury
165 Gold, 3 Silver

Military
7 Knights w/ Warhorses
3 Squires
32 Longbowmen

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Nehekara

Nehekara's celebration over the fall of Niahra had since died down and the realization that they weren't getting caravans settled in. Without trade, the salt wouldn't be of any use even if the weather was hotter so they could properly get to work. Without trade, they would be unable to bring in the raw materials they lacked to build, create or flourish. Currently, things were being repurposed or scavenged to meet demand, but this could not continue forever. If trade was reestablished, either through caravans returning or the setting up of their own, Nehekara would stagnant and possibly even begin to fade away into the desert. Still, some things had been done, the copper mines have been brought up and running, although really, it is just people with newly created tools beating away at it to extra copper ore and turquoise. Still, the copper, with some refining, could help some of the metal woes of Nehekara for projects where it would be a suitable iron replacement.

Arakis succeeded in his efforts to study his magical disciplines and even managed to create his own spells to add to his personal grimoire, expanding his personal capability. Nailah's studies continued and the militia training under Milena and the Waabooz also continued, progress was being made, and Nehekara could flourish if they ever had time to not be dealing with one crisis or another!

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Nehekara Population
415

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
40% Anubite/60% Human

Students
Nailah [Anubite]

Taxation
50%

Resource
Salt Fields
Copper (Turquoise)

Terrain
Desert

Current Projects
150 Gold, 5 Silver [150 Gold, 5 silver used so far] for the Copper/Turquoise Mines [100%]

It doesn't take much to start a mine, just tools and people... But there was a problem. Tools. Nehekara didn't exactly have metal to make tools, and while normally they could import some raw iron for the blacksmith to use, that currently wasn't an option. So in order to get the iron to make the tools, other things had to be repurpose... Things they likely didn't want to repurpose like unused tools, metal fixatures and other such things. Because of this scavenging, the 'cost' of this project was exponentially increased, but despite the very high price tag, the picks and spades needed to start the mine was completed. However, do beware, if Nehekara attempts to make anything that requires large amounts of iron, until they've sorted their caravan issue, the price will be even more astronomical. The copper will provide a constant source of goods and profits [once trade begins again], however the turquoise is a bit more hit or miss with how much profit it'll give [2d20+20 gold] as some seasons numerous fine turquoise will be uncovered, while others, the pickings could be more slim.

Completed Projects
School of Magi
Training Field
Repaired Saltmonger Rakes
Copper/Turquoise Mines

Revenue
126 Gold, 2 Silver, 5 Copper

Upkeep/Expenditure
- 220, 5 Silver

Income
-94 Gold, 2 Silver, 5 Copper

Treasury
233 Gold, 5 Silver, 5 Copper

Military
100 Untrained Militia

Melian's Desert Rangers
10 Tatou Riders
25 Waabooz Warriors

Military Training
First batch of Militia in 2 turns.
Nailah advances in 5 turns.

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LightHome

Logrim was working on a new project, he had lofty ideas, dreams about a weapon that could fire over and over, in rapid succession... But reality wasn't playing a long quite so easily. Such a weapon had many hurdles, the first of which was.. what turned it? Would it have an external power source? How could such a thing be made? Perhaps just a simple hand crank mechanism would be easier, but that was the easiest hurdle to get over. The hardest would be how such a weapon would work. It took time, lots of time, to reload a firearm. Wad, powder, bullet, packing it down, there was no actual way to 'rapid fire' such a weapon besides using many barrels, but even that would only allow someone to fire three to six times and then all the barrels would need to be reloaded and that would take an extreme time. Still! Logrim wasn't about to let a little thing like complications or mechanical limits stand in his way!

So Logrim worked on figuring out how to get such a weapon to 'turn' and to test out multiple barrels... Befitting Logrim, he didn't nothing small, instead of a rifle, he went full in on trying to weaponize the rail system he had not yet completed, making a very large cannon.. Or perhaps, cannons would be a more apt word for it. Three large cannon barrels were forged, any lesser smith would never have been able to do so as cannon forging is far, far harder then many believe, but Logrim was no lesser smith. The barrels were 'bundled' together and using a very heavy crank lever, the barrels could be 'turned', each one lit in, theoretically, quick succession to rapid fire the cannon three times. The cannon could use standard shot or grapeshot, whichever the case may be...

But there was a few problems. Primarily, the cannons were 'light' cannons, barely four pounders, this was done because a Cart is *not* exactly a stable platform, being far less dense then the cannons and awkwardly shaped with all the weight sitting very high up and forward. Anything heaver would cause the cart to tip up and over, or, blow itself off the tracks which was far from ideal. The lighter cannons didn't hit nearly as hard, but they were still very impressive firepower and would certainly ruin the day of most things hit by them, far stronger then a rifle at least. Another issue the new weapon had was... the rails. The weapon had a lot of kick which made the cart go sliding back after each shot, very unfortunate for anyone that was standing behind it. Logrim played with the idea of adding a 'brake', but the cart lacked the mass to absorb the recoil, so a break would just lead the cart to tipping up and over again. So, for now, it would have to do.

This new weapon wasn't quite named yet, but Logrim would surely think of something. The weapon would always require two people to 'crew' it, and it.. was not an easy weapon to reload, but it would hit hard. [Crew 2, Damage 7, Ammo 3, Reload 18 <- Can fire three times before needing to reload, will take 18 rounds to reload if empty, so unlikely to be able to reload it in combat]

[[This weapon took 6 steel to make. 33 shots of blackpowder was used to test. Each time one of the barrels is fired, 11 shots worth of blackpowder is used [22 ounces of powder to project the 4 pound ball]]

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Village Population
450

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 Men and Women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
96% Dwarf
4% Humans

Taxation
50%

Resource
Iron

Terrain
Mountain

Current Projects
200 [30 Gold Used] for Rails through the mines and town [15%]

Work on the rails continues, it is still slow, arduous wok especially in winter. While the extra workers pulled from the farms help, as does the wrought iron refinery working hard to create the rails, themselves, from the specially created molds. Still, it is a lot of iron going into this, and the workers aren't super thrilled to be working in the heavy, dense snow of the winter mountains. They spend almost as much time digging and clearing the snow away as they do laying the track! And that isn't even getting into how hard and painful the ground is to remove and level, being as hard and frozen as it is. But still, progress goes even if many of the dwarves wish they weren't doing this kind of work in the dead of winter! Not as much progress was done as they'd like because many of the workers were pulled off to begin work on the weapon smithy/shop.

115 [30 Gold used] for a Weapon Smithy/Shop [70%]

Logrim wanted to build a weapon smithy, a place to actually create quality weapons as the only one that had the skill to actually make weapons in a common blacksmithy was, well, Logrim and so unless Logrim wanted to spend all his days, every day, for the foreseeable future doing nothing but turning iron into weapons, an actual weapon smithy would need to be created so another dwarf could take over for him, leaving him free to experiment, create and runesmith. The actual building, itself, won't be too bad, roughly 40 gold for its construction. The real price will be in getting the tools and specialized equipment for the weapon smithy... This was not as cheap. Normally, they would expect to pay 50 gold for a caravan to bring it, but as they were in the mountains, in the dead of winter, this was much more expensive then normal and so a 'mark up' price would need to be paid. The equipment has not been ordered yet, so if Logrim wished to put it on hold to save coin, he could.

Completed Projects
Smelters
Wrought Iron Refinery
Stonebread

Revenue
117 Gold, 6 Silver

Upkeep/Expenditure
-247 Gold, 2 Silver
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance)

Income
-129 Gold, 6 silver

Treasury
30 Gold, 8 Silver

Military
23 Disgraced Guards
[Name Pending] Cart Cannon
Four Warhounds

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Azdanur

Things have been reasonably quiet in Azdanur this month, which is something to be thankful for especially considering what happened the month prior which was pain that still had not left the village, and likely wouldn't, for some time. Those eight women had been mothers, daughters and sisters. Women who worked and toiled to ensure the village was safe and prosperous, not just through their jobs, but as people who had stepped forth to join the militia. Now? Now they were gone and no one felt that more clearly then their families. The funeral took place on a drab, cloudy day. The ground was covered in snow and the sky looked ready to bring down some more, but was holding off for now, perhaps out of respect or a solemn responsibility for the mortals that had lost their loved ones. Due to the nature of the necromancers work, the funeral was a closed casket affair, and many of the town had gathered to mourn the loss. Children and parents, alike, stood stoic, some wept with others merely looked on, more lives senselessly lost to the forsaken lands. There was some whispers that some of them could have been saved if the Order of SIlver had just moved faster, had been faster, but the blame truly lay with the Necromancer and his creation, and both, had been disposed of, so solace, or what little could be had, could be taken from that. The ceremony, despite being so morose, did not seem to lay the pain to rest [Failed Fellowship Test]. People were still happy such a ceremony was held, so public relation and opinion did not fall from the fallen members of the village, but no bonus was gained from it.

In brighter news, the forty spears were crafted, enough to arm the first batch of militia that finished their training. Still, with a new batch about to be trained, one could only wonder the headache Alice must be constantly enduring to find methods and means to arm all these militia. Still, progress was being made and that was something [40 Poor Quality Spears Finished].

If there was something truly worth celebrating it is that Reyna, being inspired by the recent events such as the building of the temple, and the funeral, has crafted a new masterpiece. This one doesn't get the option to sell, however, as it is a statue to a deity, standing guard outside of the temple and watching over the graveyard. This is a statue of Oberon, the bear god. The white marble is carved with such skill that people can swear they can see individual strands of hair. The bear statue is massive, nearly nine feet in height, and that is it sitting down. It is sitting on its hindquarters as it seems to be 'watching' all those that approach the temple. It looks as if, at any moment, the great statue will come alive and prowl among the citizens. Local children have taken to using the statue as a playground, of sorts, and for any other masterwork statue, this would be seen as a massive issue as they could possibly damage it and this was a masterwork piece by Reyna, after all. However, the elven woman just shrugged and replied that the Bear God would have it no other way. Reyna claims the inspiration came in a dream where all three gods approached her with an outstretched hand, or paw, in the case of Oberon. When she touched the great paw, a voice filled her mind and told her that.. in Azdanur's darkest moments to remember to return to the Temple, to Him, and if their cause was true, he would protect the hearth and home.

Reyna did create a masterwork this turn.
[Rolled 992, need 900+]

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Village Population
421

Demographic Breakdown:
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
80% Human/20% Other [Dwarves/Halflings/Other]

Magic Potential
1 Villager [Member of the Militia]
Forgrin

Taxation
50%

Resource
Aether-Kissed Marble

Terrain
Hills

Current Projects
260 [240 gold used so far, estimated final cost will be 400 gold] for Wooden Walls [60%]

Construction of the wood walls continues, the pace has slowed considerably, but farmers are still coming in to help with construction. Winter has also proven to be something of an obstacle as the ground has become much harder and so digging the ditch and digging 'post holes' for the wall, itself, requires far more time and effort then they were originally prepared to do. More gold will soon need to be allocated to the wall for the construction, but once it is complete, the village will have a very useful, and potent, defense against threats and incursions. Especially as the wall can be upgraded later to stone if the village is willing to take the hit to their profit margins and treasury.

300 [60 gold used] for a Temple [20%]

Construction of the Temple is underway. The actual Temple, itself, will cost 90 gold, constructed almost entirely out of Aether-Kissed Marble, will cost 150 gold. This is actually remarkably cheap considering the sheer cost in material, such a temple would be almost unthinkable for almost anyone else in the world and it is only because of the quarry that such a thing is impossible. This building will be an exceptional landmark and a work of art, more over, as it will be made of Aether-Kissed Marble, it will be place of great magical power both for study and experimentation [Will receive a large boost to training and magical research]. Coupled with the grand statue carved by Reyna, and this could very well be the single most beautiful structure ever built within the Forsaken Lands, in living memory, at least. On top of the hefty 150 gold, 150 additional gold will be needed for the actual tools, stations and implements needed for a large group of mages to use for both study, research and training. [You may pull gold that hasn't yet been used if you find yourself in need of gold.].

Completed Projects
Training Field
Statue of The Unknown Squire
Statue of Oberon

Revenue
114 Gold, 9 Silver, 5 Copper

Upkeep/Expenditure
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance)
-339 Gold, 5 Silver

Income
-224 Gold, 5 silver, 5 copper

Treasury
114 Gold

Military
15 Sergeants
Chip
17 Hunters
[Similar to militia only they have hunting bows already are a bit more trained)
40 Trained Militia
150 Untrained Militia]

Military Training
1 turn for second batch of trained militia
Squires are at their 'max' for training.

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Occiden Marag

The jury was still out with the Albino Arachyaw, it had attacked Irving, but only after Irving had spent a long time poking around at its 'treasures'. Was it provoked or had it always intended to attack them eventually? Most amazing of all was the fact Irving was capable of escaping from being tied up and poisoned was nothing short of miraculous. Of course, the fact Karl and the Hunters had lost their nerve once the spider had gotten too close hadn't been ideal, but it was hard to blame them. Even in the Aether, a figure as nightmarish as the Albino Arachyaw wasn't exactly common and not everyone had the strength of will of Irving to stand their ground. One could only ponder at what the meaning behind what happened to Irving, he had taken the dream weed and tried to delve deep into universal truth, but instead, he had merely left himself open as prey. Perhaps doing it in such a dangerous position had its drawbacks? But if they weren't willing to risk the drawbacks, the downsides, could they truly consider it a leap of faith? Would the spirits be appeased by anything less? Perhaps the real question was... what now? Was the Arachyaw content to stay where it was? It had not seemed to follow Karl or the Hunters when they fled, nor had the scouts placed seen any sign of it coming closer, did they wish to try and kill it, if they even could, did they want to keep feeding it? Or would greed win out and they'd make another attempt at taking the silk it left behind as they've been trying to do and just take more precaution with how much they were willing to risk?

The village was still run and organized by Ada and Karl, so Irving being stuck in a comatose state for so long did not negatively effect the village, however few switched between culture as Ada was far too busy running between the villages dealing with rising medical issues and taking more control of the running of village while Irving was down to really hold sermons and lessons about the spirits and their place in this world. Work on the dock and shipwright hadn't truly begun, instead a warehouse had been put up to start dry aging the wood so it could be used to build boats once the shipwright was actually completed. There was an added benefit for this warehouse, the dry aged wood would sell for more then the green wood currently being sold, so the village would see an increased profit from their lumber efforts.

Not everything was going so well though, there had been rumors of a woman in white that had been wandering the nearby forest on moonlit nights. She seemed almost ethereal, disappearing into smoke when people drew too close. Still news of this lady in white spread rapidly in the town with some of the Aetherlings certain she was a spirit that had come to guide them in this trying time. A group of seven had left to go and convene with her, but none of them have returned.

[[You had an Event happen to you, you do not need to spend an action to attempt to address it]]

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Village Population
416

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
82% Aetherling
17% Human
Less than 1% Kobold [Zuhsa]

Taxation
50%

Resource
Arling River

Terrain
Forest

Current Projects
100 (40 Gold used so far) for a dock/shipwright (65%)

Ten of the gold was used just to entice farmers to come and do some extra work as while it was a bit pricey, most people didn't really want to leave their warm homes to stand out in the bitter cold and work on some construction projects, especially, when it became clear they'd need to enter the icy cold river to do some of the work on the future pier. The first thing they did wasn't actually directly connected to the shipwright or the pier, the first thing they did was set up a large warehouse. This warehouse had a single purpose, to air dry all the processed lumber and planks that were coming in for boat building. While some people had suggested leaving them out and covering them to save money and time, this was quickly discarded not just because the winters, the wet autumns but also because they were next to a very large river, so the air was naturally very humid which would negatively effect the air drying. So, the warehouse was erected to to store and dry them. This warehouse will also give a boost to lumber as air dried wood is more valuable then the green wood planks currently being sold.

Completed Projects
Watermills
Training Field

Revenue
556 Gold, 6 Silver
(+ 494 gold)

Upkeep/Expenditure
-203
(+ 75)
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance)

Income
353 Gold, 6 Silver

Treasury
400 Gold, 9 Silver

Military
20 Untrained Guardsmen
20 Hunters
1 Kobold [Zuhsa]
60 Untrained Militia

Military Training
1 turn for first batch of trained Guardsmen/Militia

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Port Zolond

Port Zolond was in good spirits despite the chilly weather [although, as always, no snow fell upon the coast]. Not only did they have a fairly fun festival, trade had been reestablished with the village of Locke. The trade wasn't amazing, mostly being cheese and milk for beer and what stone could be transported over, still, it did help some of the local economy and it was certainly better then no trade! Moreover, should Port Zolond ever have the coin, and the need, horseflesh could be purchased from Locke and that would certainly be a powerful, and useful, addition to their forces should such a need ever arise. Nym's popularity was.. pretty good, exceptional when it was taken into account that he was a Dark Elf Necromancer, but so far, Nym had kept his word and seemed a 'straight shooter'. While many were still waiting for the other shoe to drop, and likely would be forever, they were content to follow his lead in most things so long as it didn't end with the Port being burned to the ground.

A watch was established on Fort Dawn... But there was a problem. The plains of the grasslands, where the Fort was situated on, were rather flat and lacked any cover. So, perhaps, they could have kept a watch on them by pretending to be travelers going back and forth to avoid detection, but that is not what they did. The gilded blades, instead, simply set up a small camp and kept watch, the notion that Fort Dawn maybe watching them never seemed to enter their minds. It seems very likely that Fort Dawn has not only seen them, but is now likely very curious as to why someone sent people to keep an eye on their fort and movements. [Stealth Failed, Int Failed, Fort Dawn passed a perception with.. considerable degrees]

The alchemy lab was constructed fairly quickly, all things considered, this is extremely impressive when one recalls the building was being constructed out of limestone, all they needed was for the more expensive pieces to make it to the Port. They would be brought by ship, over the ocean, surely safer then overland travel. Any day now, they would arrive and the Alchemy Lab would open. Any day now... After a few weeks passed, it became clear that something had happened to the ship. Attacked by pirates? Maybe ran afoul of the storm? Had their captain been so foolish as to veer close to the Maelstorm? Had they been ripped off? Questions arose until a man was discovered washed ashore, he was barely breathing and screaming, "Q... q.. kin! rakin!," The words left his mouth as a jumped mess, but from his injuries, including the large red welts as large as his chest, it was highly likely the ship was preyed upon by a mighty Kraken. Krakens were some of the mightest lords of the depths and often preyed on ships, they tended to stick around hunting grounds for a few months before moving on to find fresh prey. This meant a Kraken, or at least, they believed to be a Kraken, had set up a hunting ground just off their coast. For the foreseeable future, the beast would lurk and any ships coming to Port Zolond would be unlikely to make it. The man that washed ashore quickly succumbed to his injuries [Gain 1 Human Corpse]

[[An Event has happened to you! The Sea Monster has established a hunting ground. You can attempt to deal with this, if you have a plan of action, and may do so without spending an action, or you can wait it out. Unless the sunken ship is recovered, through whatever means you may have {Could be impossible} the fifty gold used on the Alchemy Lab for the equipment will be lost to the depths]]

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Village Population
420

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
39% Human
36% Orc/Half-Orc
10% Goblin
9% Other
5% Halfling
1% Ogre

Taxation
50%

Resource
Limestone
Beer/Spirits

Terrain
Coastal

Current Projects
90 [90 used so far] for Alchemy Lab [99%]

The actual Alchemy Lab is not exceptionally large, being a modest sized building built, like so many others, from limestone. While it would normally take awhile to build, construction was helped by the Ogres and Undead acting as menial labor so the actual skilled labor can put their efforts where it would best be needed. All they needed was for the actual expensive equipment to be brought in to fill it out and then the Port would have their own Alchemy lab where potions, tonics and other such odds and ends could be created!.... The equipment would be coming soon, on a ship, and nothing could ever go wrong with that.

Completed Projects
The Last Gasp: Tavern/Bordello/Gambling Hall
Brewery

Revenue
110 Gold, 7 silver

Upkeep
-189 Gold, 1 Silver
(You only pay them wages, Mercs buy their own food and pay their own equipment maintenance)

Income
-78 Gold, 4 Silver

Treasury
100 gold, 6 Silver

Military
42 Gilded Blades
43 Skeletons
[18 Murloc, 25 Humanoid]
3 Ogres
1 Bone Golem

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Nova Empearal

The town of Nova was now in the deathly grip of winter, and in the mountains, even the sunswept mountains, this was particularly bad. Snow covered nearly every surface, and in some areas, was feet deep making travel extremely difficult, if not impossible, for bulker transports [like Wagons]. No caravans will be coming this turn or likely next turn until the spring thaws come. Moving to nearby locations, like Grensbroke, will be difficult and dangerous, but theoretically doable if such an emergency was needed. On Grensbroke, Nova Empearal is practically a buzz with news of the wedding. While Alwyn had only been to Nova a few times, she was seen as a intelligent, dedicated young woman and so had made a good impression on the village and while no one in Nova had said anything, most found it odd that such a charming young man, like Araquiel, was unwed. The fact the two villages would grow closer, their leader was marrying someone who seemed like they could be a positive influence on the village and the lineage and future of the villages was secured was a large morale boost to both villages. The only problem with this was now both villages were expecting a rather impressive spring wedding to match the occasion and would be very disappointed if it didn't match their growing expectations.

The four dwarfs were very useful in directing the miners in how to 'properly swing their picks' and how to more efficiently extract metal from the veins. While Araquiel had 'freed' them and told them they could leave, that was a bit of a mute point considering they were stuck in the mountains, with no supplies, in the middle of winter, so they weren't really trusting the human's intentions [Failed Fellowship]. But it sure beat being enslaved by Rokzog and his ilk, so it was still an improvement. Araquiel asked them to go deeper into the mines, into some of the more unexplored caves to survey for new minerals or possible goods, something the dwarfs would be quite adept at doing. They gathered some supplies and ventured deep into the mountain. That was a week ago and they haven't been seen since [Rolled 46 on a D1000]. Did they run? Did they die in some cave-in? Was there something else lurking within the mountain? Did Araquiel wish to send troops to investigate, or investigate himself, or did he wish to board up the section of mines they disappeared it and write it off?

In lighter news, the Grimblades finally arrived with a Cendeb who didn't plan to stay longer then a few days as he wanted to try and get back through the mountains before it was too late. The Grimblades are professionals armed with halberds and breastplates. They seem stern, disciplined and a bit dour. They seem to keep their own camp a bit separate from the village unlike the Companions who barged their way into people's homes.

[This is NOT an event. So if you want to address it, you'd need to spend an action].

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Village Population
441

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
90% Humans, 10% Other

Potential Magically Adept Students
1 Human

Taxation
50%

Resource
Silver

Terrain
Mountains

Current Projects
80 gold [5 gold used] Foundry [1%]

No work on the foundry is done this turn, normally this would count as a 'pause', but through sheer luck and will power, one lone man meandered about and kept it going. No work was actually done, but he did manage to still collect a paycheck for doing nothing which was impressive really when one considered it. Wait, no, he collected a paycheck for all the workers that were supposed to be there... [Lose -15 gold, Foundry does not count as 'paused', work was directed to Magic Academy instead, passed a D1000].

250 gold for (250 used so far) for a Magic Academy [100%]

The Magic academy is completed. The wooden structure is fairly impressive, all things considered, being large enough to house multiple students with various extra rooms for studies, recreation and a rather large room filled with arcane instruments that would allow a student to, mostly, tap into the Aether without blowing themselves to bits. Mostly. There is always the chance such a thing could occur, after all, the Aether obeyed none but their own whims, but it was far, far safer and would allow for students to actually gain experience binding the winds and weaving their spells. Now that the Magic Academy was completed, the magically attuned human within Nova could begin their training to, one day, become nothing more then a charm making machine for Araquiel, but it sure beats being a lumberjack or a miner.

Completed Projects
Smelters

Revenue
216 Gold, 7 Silver, 5 Copper

Upkeep/Expenditure
-326 Gold, 1 Silver
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance, you only pay wages for mercs [Rose])

Income
- 129 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Copper

Treasury
159 Gold, 7 Silver

Military
6 Companions of the Grave
32 Grimblades

Training
1 Magically Attuned Human [6 Turns Remaining]

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Argenté

Argenté was a decent sized village situated on the coast of the Forsaken Land. Like most of the coastal areas, it bordered on the great grasslands that dominated most of the landscape. The village had two primary sources of income, the first was fairly normal for villages everywhere in the world, farms. Farmland stretched around Argenté for a ways in all directions save for that which was claimed by the sea. Sadly, it was winter, so the farms weren't producing anything at the moment and, instead, farmers stayed aside, spending the short days and long nights with their families. The second source of income was pearls. Most shorelines had the chance at getting pearls, but Argenté was special. The currents of the Carrion Sea brought untold amounts of mollusk to its shores. Untold thousands every year, nearly as fast as Argenté could shuck them, more came, brought on by the tides. Gathering pearls was always a gamble, hundreds of mollusk had to be shucked just to get a chance at a single pearl, and the size, quality, color and shape all varied. The gathering of pearls was truly feast or famine, but still, the mollusk, themselves, provided a constant source of high quality food for Argenté. While some other profit was made from laborers and fishing, farming and pearls were what Argenté was known for with caravans coming from all over to get their hands on them.

Now, the question remained, why would a village with such a profitable resource allow a sixteen year old, her knight and a handmaiden take it over? In truth, the village was all but handed to her. For within Argenté there was two 'great families', the Köhlers and Laurent. The Köhlers were the most prominent farming family in the area and most of the farmers had looked to them for leadership since the village was founded while the Laurent had managed to corner the market on pearls. Every person that shucking the pearls? Did so under the pay of the Laurent. These two families built Argenté and, once upon a time, were allied through marriage and purpose, but that was long ago. Now there was a blood feud that ran between them. A blood fued that has only grown, especially with the murder of Arrigo Köhler and the abduction, and disappearance, of Catalina Laurent. Fighting has broken out in the streets between guards of the family, people are waiting for the hammer blow to fall..

In this tense period, Dina Bélanger arrived by boat. Outcast by her family, with only a single guard and a handmaiden to her name, she had to set up a new life, a life of danger, a life of freedom within the Forsaken Lands. Through charm and the legitimacy of her bloodline, she managed to secure some support, and with the leadership of both families broken, and blood on the horizon, most of the town folk turned to her and asked her assistance. It seems bizarre, for hundreds of people to turn to a sixteen year old woman, barely more then a girl, and asking her for help, but odder things have happened in this realm. Now the only thing left was to see if Dina could manage it. Could she handle the mess between these two families? Would she need to remove them? Could she bind their loyalty to her and bury past grievances or would she have to pick one over the other and bring the conflict to a bloody end?.. Whatever she did, she needed to act fast before it spiraled out of control, only then, once Argenté was secured, the rest of the Forsaken Lands could be tackled.

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Argenté Population
426

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
100% Human

Taxation
50%

Resource
Pearls

Terrain
Coastal

Current Projects
-

Completed Projects
-

Revenue
108 Gold, 2 Silver

Upkeep/Expenditure
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance, you only pay wages for mercs [Rose])

Income
108 Gold, 2 Silver

Treasury
408 Gold, 2 Silver

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Colova

Colova rest on the coast of the Forsaken Lands, touching the Carrion Sea and resting below the great frost tipped mountains of the north. Colova is oddly warm, almost humid, by the standards of most of the rest of the lands. A bit smaller then other villages, Colova has always been very vulnerable and survived, mostly, by hoping no one of note noticed they were there in the first place! The small village made their living almost entirely through farming and fishing, and in the depths of winter, the farms were not providing anything and so the budget was rather tight. So tight that when they received a new, very dangerous, neighbor, they could do nothing to resist it. This neighbor was a Mountain Hydra. A massive five headed reptilian monster with an immense dragon like body. It had the ability to breath poisonous clouds that paralyzed those in its path before it gobbled them up, almost whole. The hydra was a young member of its species, but still, even a young hydra was a walking typhon of destruction. They were lucky, for now, in that they had escaped the Hydra's wrath, but it was only a matter of time before the great beast started to wander into town and devouring the people.

It was in this dark time that a young, for her kind, Half-Elf arrived, Eyva Vess. The half-elf had arrived with quite the entourage which caused more then a bit of panic in the town as four mages arriving with two large spotted cats and nine large wolves was not exactly normal for Colova. Made worse by the natural distrust people have towards magic and those that practice it. The Half-Elf may have been beautiful, nice and very charming, but it was likely all an act to lure them in before she cast some horribly spell to tear their souls out and use it for some evil experiment. With the Hydra out there, and mages now inside, the village truly was doomed..

When Eyva offered to speak to the Hydra on their behalf, a few of the braver souls laughed at the notion, but in the end, they gave her leave to do so. After all, what was the worst that could happen? If they were lucky, they would kill one another! Imagine their surprise when Eyva not only succeeded but returned with the massive creature in toe that seemed to have taken a liking to the half-elf, doting on her as all five heads fought for affection and attention. Was this mage, perhaps, not so bad after all? Maybe... It was then that Eyva unveiled her second 'gift'. Contacts. In her travels, she had befriended more then a few merchants, one of those was a spice merchant from the south. Spices were incredibly valuable, some say, more then gold. If Eyva had leave, she could convince her contact to stop by Colova and make it their point of contact for the Forsaken Lands. The sheer amount of prosperity and wealth this promised was almost enough to leave the elders of the village drooling and the young pondering the possibilities.

The Hydra, the spice contact and Eyva's charming, kind demeanor eventually won out and the elders approached Eyva and asked her to stay, to help their village get through the winter and beyond... Colova would follow Eyva, and hopefully, follow her to prosperity.

[[Important Note: Your resource is Spice. Spice merchant will arrive twice a year, the first of spring and the first of fall. So he will be here to drop his goods off on Turn 7. It is winter, so your income is going to be pretty pitiful until spring, but you will receive a large influx of gold every time the spice merchant arrives]]

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Colova Population
393

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
Varies

Taxation
50%

Resource
Spice

Terrain
Coastal

Current Projects
-

Completed Projects
-

Revenue
39 Gold

Upkeep/Expenditure
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance, you only pay wages for mercs [Rose])
-18 Gold

Income
21 Gold

Treasury
321 Gold

Military
3 Mages [Power Level 1]
9 Wolves
2 Jaguars
Young Mountain Hydra

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Mäkinen’s Legacy

The bandits of Mäkinen’s Legacy were a shell of what they once were under Hega, Ivan's mother. In those days, they were a terror able to plague the caravans and nobles alike of the Middle Kingdoms, but there was one foe even Hega could not defeat, time. With her death, her great bandit force scattered as her lieutenants all scrambled for power, eager to get their paws on the last vestiges of her legacy and to claim fortune and glory themselves. Hega's only child, Ivan, is one such person. He lacked the influence to take over the bulk of Hega's old bandits and instead could only grab a faithful few and break off on his own, hoping to rebuild and prove that he was just as worthy as his mother. His quest to prove himself, to reestablish the legacy, and even attempt to surpass his mother has brought him to the Forsaken Land, the 'graveyard of civilization'. There were legends of mighty orcs and bandits who rose here, who wiped out all efforts to colonize before moving on to the rest of the world, and Ivan.. Ivan would surpass them all.

Well, maybe. For now, his grand legacy was nothing more then freezing bandits huddled around campfires in the deep forest as they tried not to succumb to sickness and frostbite. Not only was it cold, especially for Kobolds and Beeravians, neither renown for their ability to handle the cold, Beeravians being insectoids and Kobolds being cold blooded, but they were running out of food. The winter hunting and gathering was not enough to feed, or pay, the bandits. They were running on a low 'cut' and heavy rations to stretch out the supply reserves of the group. Something had to be done... and something had to be done fast or they'd quickly run out. They needed a caravan to raid, a village to pillage, they needed anything to start building a reputation and start to get their supplies filled out.

... And that wasn't the worst of it. Some of the bandits sent on patrol haven't returned. Nearly a dozen had been sent out, and not one had returned to camp. Was it some beast hunting them? Enemies they had no discovered? Whatever the case may be, if they did not find where those missing Bandits went, more were likely to go missing.. Well, or Ivan could just cut his losses, move camp and not worry about those people at all. After all, most of them were kobolds anyways.

[An Event has happened to you, you may address it without spending an action if you so wish, or ignore it and move on.]

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Bandit Population
148

Demographic Breakdown
80/20 men and women
%100 Adults
-
50% Kobold, 35% Human, 15% Beeravian

Cut
50%

Terrain
Forest

Current Projects
-

Completed Projects
-

Revenue
53 Gold, 2 Silver

Upkeep/Expenditure
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance, you only pay wages for mercs)
- 93 Gold, 2 Silver

Income
- 40 Gold

Treasury
260 Gold

Military
4 Falcons
12 Hunting Dogs
22 Beeravians Bandits
52 Human Bandits
74 Kobold Bandits

CaptainSully · Oct 9, 2022

Arakis

The Breakdown

What is this that I feel?! Nearly two centuries I have existed in this world, nearly two centuries focussed on magic, two centuries focussed on knowledge...and for what? Do the God's curse me? Am I nothing more than a joke to them?

Inhotok, Great Protector of the Sun, Lord of Heavens, do you forsake me? Have I displeased you? You blessed me with the gift of magic and granted me great power...yet now when I need it most there is more chance of me convincing a stranger that I am not as fierce as my appearance implied. I have praised you for all of my life, I have dedicated my existence to show my people your greatness and to thank you for everything that you have blessed us with.

Do I now have doubt? Is that what I feel? Do I doubt your existence? I pray that I don't. I pray that I simply have an illness that is clouding my mind. I pray that my words and my thoughts are just a malady that will clear with time and show me that my faith remains true and strong.

Oh Great Inhotok, I pray for guidance...I pray for hope for my people...I pray for your blessing.

Arakis wiped the tears from his eyes as he gazed as the humble stone statue in the form of Inhotok. He knelt holding his staff, named after the God himself, using it to push himself back fully upright.

Times had been tough and he hoped that moving forward, maybe they would change...reality however was cruel...

Actions Action 1
☥Time to Restart Trading | Arakis has requested the use of a Tatuo to go in search of nearby villages or towns with which to begin trading. While away, the caravan he claimed from Nithra will be readied.

Action 2
☥Create Refinery for Copper | Create refinery to process copper ore into a useable form.
Current Stats

Wounds - 14/14

Fate - 3/3

Magic Power 3
☥No Modifiers

Weapon Skill 25
☥No Modifiers

Ballistic Skill 25
☥No Modifiers

Strength 26
☥No Modifiers

Toughness 42
☥No Modifier

Agility 27
☥No Modifiers

Intelligence 50
☥Primary

Perception 45
☥Primary

Willpower 49
☥Primary

Fellowship 16
☥No Modifiers
Notes

Nithra Salt Monger Leader
☥ Green Dragonborn | Information says she is a green Dragonborn so likely has noxious breath.
☥ Moneybags | Has enough coin to be are to afford a small mercenary army.
☥ Guards | Has at least 20 guards.
Core Spells

Glowing Light CV | 3
☥Can cause any item in your grasp to glow with the light of a lantern for one hour or until you let it go.

Sounds CV | 4
☥Create a phantom noise with volume ranging from a whisper to a roar. You can choose the type of noise and the volume, the spell can reproduce any noise but speech. The noise can last 10 seconds.

Drop CV | 4
☥Compel a target to drop whatever they are holding. The subject can resist it with a Will Power test

Marsh Lights CV | 6
☥Create a number of distant lights that could be mistaken for torches or lanterns. They can be sent off in any direction [within 100 yards], they disappear into nothingness if they go past your line of sight. Concentration Spell: You may not cast any other spells while Marsh Lights is active.

Magic Dart CV | 6
☥Bolt of magical force with a range of 16 yards. Damage 3.

Sleep CV | 6
☥Your touch causes an enemy to fall into a slumber for 1d10 rounds unless a successful Will Power test is made. This is a touch spell [must pass a Weapon Skill test].

Aethyric Armour CV | 5
☥Weave the strands of the aether into an invisible barrier to shield yourself. Gain number of armor points equal to the magic power used to cast it for 6 rounds. This cannot be used with actual armor and putting on armor will cause this effect to immediately end

Blessed Weapon CV | 6
☥Can enchant one melee, thrown weapon, or ammunition [up to 5 shots]. These items gain no direct combat bonuses but do count as magical making them very useful against ghost and other ethereal targets. Last 1 hour.

Magic Lock CV | 7
☥Enchant one lock or bolt that you can touch for 1 week. This magic lock cannot be picked or forced open during this time. [Beware, the item, itself, can be broken. A magically locked door can still be smashed apart, etc].

Magic Alarm CV | 8
☥Create a silent alarm on one spot you touch. If a creature comes within 2 yards, you will be mentally alerted instantly no matter how far you are. This will wake you up if sleeping. It provides no identity of who tripped it, only that someone has. You can only have 1 magic alarm at any time. Last until triggered or you cast another.

Heaven

Starshine CV | 22
☥You call down the light of the stars [Can be used in daytime or indoors], the area is illuminated by soft light that reveals all that is hidden. Any darkness, magical or mundane, is banished, the invisible is made visible, hidden or disguised characters are exposed and secret areas (doors, chambers, etc) are revealed. Starshine last for 1 week.

Greater Portent of Amul CV | 18
☥You read signs and divine clues about what the future holds. For the next 24 hours, you gain two rerolls that you may use for whatever you wish. Unlike Portent of Amul, you may use these rerolls to force your opponent to reroll as well. You may not gain more rerolls from this spell until both have been used or expired.

Life

Father of Thorns CV | 14
☥You cause thorns and briars to burst from the naked earth with 48 yards in a wall. Anyone within the area who tries to move through takes a Damage 4 (D10+4) hit. You, and only you, are not effected within this area. The thorns and briars retreat back into the earth after a number of rounds equal to the power dice used to cast.

Woodshape CV | 16
☥You allow a willing creature to take the shape of a tree. The type of tree depends on the character of the individual, a melancholic person may transform into a weeping willow while an evil being may turn into a black oak. The target maintains the form of a tree for as long as they wish and may voluntarily end it at any time. While in tree form, the creature can see and hear as normal and may communicate with you, or other trees.

Illusion

Pot of Despair CV | 24
☥You conjure a black pit within line of sight that has a 24 yard radius. All enemies within believe they are plunging to their death in a bottomless chasm, screaming in terror all the while. They must pass a Will Power test to resist this effect, those that fail are considered Helpless but may take another test each turn. Pit of Despair last the number of rounds as the power dice used. [Helpless opponents may not defend themselves and so are hit automatically in combat. All damage rolls are maxed against Helpless foes].

Doppelganger CV | 18
☥You create a perfect copy of yourself anywhere within line of sight. You can hear and speak through this shadow version of yourself, it can freely move anywhere within your line of sight and you may cast through this illusion. Enemy must pass a Perception Test to decipher its true nature. Illusion last for D10+Power Dice Used.
Magic Items

Staff of Inhotok Bound Spell | Greater Portent of Amul
☥Impact | When rolling for melee damage, roll 2d10 and pick the best.
☥Slow | Opponents get +10% to parry or dodge blows from this weapon.
☥Magical | Magical weapons will never break [outside of the most extreme circumstance] and can hit ethereal units.
☥Spell Storage | You may store a spell within the staff that has a Casting Value of 20 or less. This spell will last forever or until a new spell is stored within. You may unleash the spell within as a free action [which could allow you to cast twice in a round], once unleashed, the staff has a game turn recharge until that spell can be used again.
☥Untapped Potential | Magic swirls in this staff, its essence eluding you. It holds some secret or potency it has not yet revealed.
Character Details

Age: 173 years

Race:
Anubite - Long-lived bipedal creatures whose appearance is far more intimidating than their demeanor.

Personality:
A solemn being who has been wronged and as a result is slowly being eaten away by the urge for revenge. He battles the growing darkness daily, trying to remain on the path that he knows is just and true. He wants to continue to be a role model and benevolent leader to his people.

Skills:
Magic - A key facet of the Archpriest's role is to master the use of magic. Over a century of practice has led to some semblance of skill. He has the capability to use most forms but has a particular penchant for the Heavens, Life and Illusions [Shadow & Heavens] styles of magic.

Potions and Poisoncraft - Sometimes magic needs to make way for more physical means. Archpriest's pass on the knowledge of potions and poisons, meaning they can create cures as effectively as they can develop toxins.

Equipment/Personal Possessions:
Archpriest Staff - Equal parts status symbol and polearm, it is a tribute to the God of God's, Inhotok, leader of the Khemrian pantheon.

Assorted crafting items - An assortment of items to be used in the creation of potions and poisons.

Past/Current Profession: Archpriest to the Pharoah

Family:
His entire family was executed on the night Khaemt turned his world upside down.

History:
Arakis spent the first twenty years of his life learning the way of the priests. He was born under the blood moon and due to custom was believed to be the next Archpriest as chosen by the gods themselves. He was no more than a standard priest until his forty sixth year when the previous Archpriest died after a long, complicated illness. At this moment Arakis felt his entire world change.

He would spend the next one hundred years taking care of the royal family and social elites. Fine tuning his magic to protect them, his potion skills to heal them and poison craft to defeat their foes. He was adored by all but a few and it was they that would see to his downfall.

Arakis awoke in a pool of blood, surrounded by the corpses of the Pharoah and his wife. The chill cries of his only child, Amuhn, roused Arakis from his slumber. His head was blurred and the previous twenty four hours non-existent in his memory. The footsteps of guards charging towards him echoed through the ornate corridors of the palace, he had to run.

As he fled he spotted a lone priest leant against a pillar nonchalantly, a smile forming as he watched Arakis running. Khaemt raised a hand and waved sarcastically for a moment before pointing towards Arakis. He yelled out, "Guards! Guards! The Archpriest has slain the Pharaoh!"

For the rest of that night Arakis did what he could to avoid capture, eventually finding himself in the deep desert. Along the way he had managed to find some of his attendants but they were nothing more than cooks or handmaidens.

After walking for two nights and one day the group found an oasis not far from the River Osht. It was here that Arakis would found Nehekara.

Village Name:
Nehekara - A village of small size that sits next to a lush oasis.

Desired Starting Terrain: Desert

Retinue/Unique Perk:
A small group of faithful and trusting attendants followed Arakis as he fled Khemri. They range from cooks to handmaiden's, servants to initiate priests. He does retain the magical item of his former position, the Staff of Inhotok.

Crocodile · Oct 10, 2022

Port Zolond
Turn 5 (Winter)

Nym pinched the brow of his nose as he sat in his office, a bottle of wine sitting close by with metal goblet he's filled and been nursing for the moment. He could not believe the fortunes turning the way they had. His alchemy lab was on the precipice of completion, only to be sabotaged by a duck. To be fair, it was gigantic man-eating duck, but it was still a gods damned duck! So long as the damn thing hunted in the water, it would hinder his importing much needed materials and parts. Any plans to expand the village more would be delayed unless he focused on more practical workings. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of three Gilded Blades into his office.

"Sir, what shall we do about Fort Dawn?" asked Miles even as Konrad and Tera stood behind him. He'd taken to keeping them as his personal guard and retinue after the Murloc raid. Miles perhaps was done as reminder of his loyalty to his personal mercenaries. Konrad and Tera proven fighters. All three therefore he'd entered into his confidence. "I don't think Boris and Tukov were very clever about their postings so the Knights know we've been watching."

"Yes, it was rather hard to miss the encampment, I imagine," Nym said a bit bitterly as he drinks his win and sighs. "Set a guard to watch for them. Those idiots have tipped our hand so now its best to be ready for inquiries, scouting or spying. Keep an eye on the farms. I want us to be ready to repel raiding or attack with the Knights of Dawn aware someone has interest in them. Those sort might elect to get aggressive."

"You think they'll try something?" Konrad asked with a frown as he stepped up to look at his employer.

"Oh I gurantee it. Doubly so after their precious weapons shipment fails to arrive," Nym said while poking at the glass bottle containing the wailing soul of the sailoer a bit vindictively. "No surprises for us. Be ready to move and respond. Besides, it'll give the Blades something to do and train for while winter is passing. You can't all be blowing your time in the Last Gasp."

"As you say, sir, we'll go tell Captain Landon your orders," Tera said as the trio move to depart. They'd be back to take up their posts outside in the parlor after but for now Nym was left alone.

"I do home the Lady is finding her amusement in this," Nym grumbled to the bottled soul who moaned miserably in response.

"Yes, yes, I know its not her doing. You idiots like had cargo it smelled. Still to the the Quaken is real. That I'm even saying that. A gods damn fairy tale monster, a child's story is out there hindering my shipments..."

The sailor's soul just moans more in response, beating against its bottle prison as Nym speaks to it.

"So many souls I could have harvested... all that cargo... but that would be suicide while that damn thing is out there. I suppose I'll busy myself with matters at hand. I think I have some books to help with that chest. Never a point to pass up on buried treasure, right?"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Screamed the muffled soul in muted terror from within its bottle.

"Precisely," Nym mused as he starts to go through his book collection while sipping more wine, opting to find the bright side to his current predicament. He has deciphering to do and a new set of piers to start buidling. If all else he'd need the damn piers just to build a ship to engage the Quacken if it failed to depart in a few months.

Actions
1. Study and decipher Iron Chest Markings
2. Commence Construction of three stone piers

Charlie12520 · Oct 10, 2022

Somewhere far, far away.
Turn 4, Icewick

The spotted deer squirmed uselessly against the four ropes that tied its thin legs and horns to the altar’s marble surface, polished to a smooth, glossy finish. The tussling made a ruffling sound echo throughout the cathedral’s tall slanted ceiling over the thousands of filled audience chairs, all staring blankly at the deer and Thesius Marcellius a few feet away. Thesius turned back to look at them, but the light from the torches that illuminated the stage could not pierce the darkness beyond. He could feel each heartbeat gushing blood to his hand. It held a handle wrapped with brown silk, topped with a shining blade two feet tall. Thesius turned his head back to the deer. The crowd was waiting.

Thesius took a step forward. He got closer, but not close enough to perform his responsibility. Only now did he realize that his legs were short, as if they had been hacked off at the knee, and that the blade felt burdensome, even though he had trained with swords all his life. Thesius gave the blade a little wobble to check for his instincts and nearly fell forward. He clenched his teeth together and closed the rest of the distance.

There was the deer, and there was the deer’s head. By now, the deer had stopped struggling. It looked at Thesius with its black eyes, helpless to its fate. It leaned its head into the altar’s surface, seemingly offering its neck. For a moment, Thesius did nothing. He could still feel the tendrils of fear grasping his heart. Then, Thesius felt his father’s warm hand squeeze his shoulder, even though he knew Marsk was nowhere near. We are all waiting for you, Thesius, the prince of Ironhold. Myself, Minerva, our subjects. Oberon. Go ahead. Marsk said. Thesius maneuvered the blade over the deer, letting the weight push its metal bite into the neck.

The deer screamed. A shrill, unnatural shriek. The audience did not care, but Thesius jerked back the blade. That only hastened the cut. Thesius closed his eyes, clenched the blade and began to saw faster and faster. The deer began to struggle against the ropes again. It kicked and trembled and shook, and the ropes began to break, one by one. A hoof kicked Thesius in the stomach, and yet he continued.

The blade scraped against something hard. Thesius opened his eyes, and saw the deer’s open neck, steaming and gushing blood. He saw the white, pointed bone of the spine and let out a gasp. Suddenly, he felt his throat clench up. He couldn’t breathe. The blade was dropped on the floor. There was no air in the cathedral’s wide expanse. The audience did not seem to care. Thesius turned. The exit, he knew, would be through the watchers behind him - the center aisle that separated the chairs. He melded his eyes shut once more and ran.

He ran until it was all quiet, again. Finally, I am free. Thesius thought. He opened his eyes.

There was the deer’s head in front of him, severed and implanted on a wooden stake, dripping blood. The world was black around him. The deer stared at him, disappointed. Then, it began to collapse into itself. The bones cracked and the skin was stretched. It slowly morphed into a human’s face. The evolution seemed to be a failure. There was too much skin, and it folded onto itself in broad, thick curves. The mouth gaped open, and Thesius could see that there was no tongue, or eyes, or nose. The hair was cluttered and balding. And yet, Thesius could still tell that it was his mentor, Valentus.

Perhaps the climate has been colder than expected, my lord. It said, the voice coming out of its opened, unmoving mouth. We are in the mountains, Thesius, if you couldn’t tell. You led me here, to my death. Kind, slow, and polite. Your men. Your pride.

Thesius slumped forward onto his knees. I followed the map. It led me here, to these wastes. And you held a sword to my throat.

The face seemed to swirl again, mixing into a uniform solution before dissolving into another mask, this one a woman. My mother, Minerva. A warmth passed over Thesius’ skin. This time, the face was perfect and beautiful. Even with its mouth closed, the woman spoke. I hope you are doing well, Thesius. There is much work for you, so do not worry. Cherries and strawberries are delightful things. Remember, dear, everything will be just fine.

The face began to melt. It dripped the wrong way - upwards, into the air. There, it began to reform, and Thesius knew who it would be. My father. The face was caked with layers of dirt that hid the man’s features, except his bushy graying beard and two empty eye slits. Thesius stared at it, and it stared at him. Then, the face lunged forward and sunk its pointed teeth into Thesius’ neck.

When Thesius finally woke up on the floor in his beehive pavilion, empty wine bottles scattered around, he blinked, swallowed, and stood up. He took a couple steps, this time with legs that worked just right, and exited the tent.

Turn Actions:

Extend the rear with longbow scouts mounted on saddle horses on lookout for any... queer things.
Double the pace with Nasrin in front, looking for the exit.

Eliasdagood · Oct 10, 2022

Colova
Eyva is so excited! Finally, a larger village has accepted her and her little found family! It will be nice to have a real bed, though chances are said bed will be in the old barn that now houses her pack.

Quintus (the rather unimaginatively named fifth head of the hydra) has shown displeasure when she's out of sight for long. Separation anxiety is a curious trait for a creature usually so solitary. Ah well! She has much to learn about her new friend, and it would seem her little pack has much to prove.

For today, she and her pack will venture into the forest. Given how suspicious these people were of her, there's a decent chance they'll have missed resources or threats simply because they mean nothing to them. And also she knows her bestial companions will want to get a sense of their new territory, and what exists to hunt here. As much empathy as she has, she's not a fool. Every beast she has with her is a carnivore, a predator. She won't disrespect them by insisting they don't hunt.

The mages will stay behind, and speak to the people of the village, both to ingratiate themselves, and to get an idea of what small problems might have sprung up while focus was on their new friend.

Colova Population
393

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
Varies

Taxation
50%

Resource
Spice

Terrain
Coastal

Current Projects
-

Completed Projects
-

Revenue
39 Gold

Upkeep/Expenditure
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance, you only pay wages for mercs [Rose])
-18 Gold

Income
21 Gold

Treasury
321 Gold

Military
3 Mages [Power Level 1]
9 Wolves
2 Jaguars
Young Mountain Hydra

Heyitsjiwon · Oct 10, 2022

While Irving somehow returned from certain predation from the Arachyaw, he spent considerable time resting from his injuries. The village found its own footing despite the inactivity of their bailiff. They arranged a watch among the untrained guardsmen and the militia and life continued to hum along. Yet, within his bed, Irving had an uneasy reckoning with his own mortality. Yes, the Aetherlings were unperturbed by the tides of time for now. However, these lands were filled with peril, and in the event that Irving were to die or any of the others... there would be a gap in precious knowledge and skills. Irving ironically found himself recalling the metal wizard, Alcazard, in his desperate quest to find immortality so that his knowledge and mind could forever be preserved. He recalled his answer to Alcazard... that ones legacy could be passed on by ones own children and disciples. Holding his own wisdom in high regard, Irving came to the conclusion that he too had to begin addressing his mortality. But how would he do so? He was not a wizard capable of transferring his soul into a golem, though he had no interest in doing so. So far, he only saw one possible solution, to find his own disciples who could learn from him. Yet, Irving was not the only person in the village with a wealth of knowledge. There were others like Karl and Ada who had few peers in their specialties. In addition, there were many skilled woodworkers, builders, hunters and fishermen in the village whose knowledge were simply precious. Indeed, even Zuhsa had an uncanny ability to recognize valuable pebbles in a mountain of rocks, an enviable skill that miners would love to have. Ever person had much to share and teach. How could all this precious knowledge and legacies be preserved?

Irving looked through a small window of his home and looked at the winter landscape. The snow was building up. Traveling for long distances was increasingly more perilous. Despite wishing to deal with the Arachyaw, winter was proving to be a greater concern... not to mention recent sightings of the lady in white. He had to encourage folks to stay home and close to the village as much as possible. It was then that Irving came to the conclusion, a school. A place where folks, particularly the youth, could learn basic skills such as letters and numbers and then proceed to directly follow and learn from a mentor. Further, with the winter getting more severe, Irving knew that he had to address the growing concerns of illness and the cold.

The snow carpeted the forest. Little grew in the cold as any greenery suffocated under the oppressive blanket of white. Yet, Irving saw a curious, little squirrel in the tree line, digging into the snow and beginning to kick up the packed dirt onto the snow. It soon popped up from the hole, idly chewing on a bit of root. Irving turned his head to look at the door as he heard someone enter. Ada approached Irving with a wooden cup in hand. "Some wild onion and garlic tea tea, Irving. It is good to fight off the cold and good for your blood." Ada gently said with slight bags under her eyes, yet her eyes were focused and carefully scanned Irving for any signs of continued illness or malady. She had been busy taking on Irving's duties while he had been incapacitated and attempting to complete her own. Irving graciously took the cup and replied with a simple, yet all encompassing "Thank you." as he steadily looked into Ada's eyes. Ada returned a slight smile before she turned and left the room. Irving took a small sip of the steaming cup of tea, and was washed by a wave of warmth and energy. Irving took a deep breath and sighed. He watched his breath fly out of the window and towards the bright, clear winter sky. "Beautiful morning." Irving said to himself as he took another sip of the tea before he rose from his bed, ready to face this new day.

---

Free Actions:

1. Expedition to explore the case of the lady in white and the missing people

2. Spend 60 gold to finish dockyard/shipwright

Actions:

1. Establish an apprenticeship and education program where the youth can follow and gain first hand experience and guidance in learning skilled jobs in the village via the construction of a school. 100 gold.

2. Construction of an apothecary to begin the production of medication, tinctures, potions, balms and etc. 100 gold.

eloise · Oct 10, 2022

Dina Bélanger

Argenté
Turn 5 (Winter)

Curious, wasn't it? How suddenly a person's circumstances could change in just an instant? It was something Dina Bélanger knew all too well. After all, was she not once the scion of a prestigious family, only to have all she had ever known stripped away from her after an illicit affair? At the very least, that's how the rest of the world saw it. Those that cared, anyways. But even as she had darted from the Isles, not a single bone within her body clattered with anything remotely resembling regret at the decision that she had made. It was one she would make thousand times over, regardless if it were the gods that willed her to. Shackled down and married to a complete stranger against her will was not a fate she was compliant to simply accept.

"I'm almost done, Dina." Alaina's melodic voice brought her back down to earth and she sighed, eyes falling on the mirror in front of her. Reflected back through the plain glass were two girls, one nearly grown and the other steadily growing out of girlhood. The sensation of the brush combing undeviatingly through her hair was a calming one and for a moment, just a single moment, she could pretend like everything was as it should be. No arguments, no tears shed, no boats, not anything. "Finished," As the brush was removed from her head and placed back in its holder on the vanity table, Alaina leaned downward next to her ear and whispered. "You look lovely as usual." She looked up, smiling warmly at her in response. There truly weren't many things she had to smile about anymore these days. But for the two people left in her life, she could.

"By the way, do you know where Kanis is? I haven't seen hide nor hair of him since yesterday." To this, Alaina shook her head as she began flittering about the room, closing and opening any openable storage chests that had been left by the previous inhabitants, seemingly inscepting them. "I'm afraid not. He's been.." The woman paused, gesturing with one of her free hands to the air in a manner that was both directionless and offhanded. "Out of it ever since we left from the Isles." So, that was the problem, wasn't it? Kanis was facing homesickness. It did not come much as a surprise to her. For as much as he was so easygoing and fluid as the most calmest of waters, he was still human with every complicated emotion that came with being one.

And unlike them, he had family back home who actually cared for him. So knowing he had given that all up, future prospects as a talented swordsman and a place where he could belong, had done inexplicable things to her. Loyalty was a hard quality to come by. Espesically when you couldn't afford to give anything but your own loyalty back in return. But she had just that. "Mayhaps we'll come across him when it comes time for dinner?" She questioned, more to herself than anything else, before rising out of the stool that some of the kinder townsfolk had taken the time to provide her with, amongst many of the other furniture that now sat within this dilapidated cruck house. Yes, a cruck house. The home of a peasant.

Another thing that hadn't surprised her in the least. A far cry it may be in comparison to the sprawling estate she once lived in. However, it wasn't something that she considered ghastly. After all, she hadn't gone through all of that trouble of forcing the boat's caption, when there were less than unsavory means of coercion which could have been chosen, to change course from the Middle Kingdoms to the Forsaken Lands so that she could have comfort. "That is true, Kanis is never one to stray too far." Alaina stated resolutely, evidently having given up on whatever scrutiny she had been doing. Kanis never straying far? That was a fact she was immensely glad for in regards to their current circumstances. Despite the village being practically handed over to her upon her docking on Argenté's shores, her position was a precarious one at best.

Only a fool would not understand why such a thing would ever occur. Argenté was a town in turmoil. Unstable and with an uncertain fate as it's two most influential families were openly feuding, fights even breaking out on the streets, the populace needed leadership. Even if said leadership arrived in the hands of a sixteen year old.

Dina needed to act and do so swiftly. Time was ticking, the more she idled the more a risk of being ousted increased.

Many things needed to be done. She could only hope she accomplished them fast enough.

Turn Actions:

1. Go out with Alaina to mingle with the townsfolk of Argenté, gain familiarity with them and the town itself.

2. Search for people that could be of a particular use to her cause.

Argenté Population
426

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
100% Human

Taxation
50%

Resource
Pearls

Terrain
Coastal

Current Projects
-

Completed Projects
-

Revenue
108 Gold, 2 Silver

Upkeep/Expenditure
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance, you only pay wages for mercs [Rose])

Income
108 Gold, 2 Silver

Treasury
408 Gold, 2 Silver

Kent · Oct 10, 2022

Nova Empearal

Village Population
441

Demographic Breakdown
50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
-
90% Humans, 10% Other

Potential Magically Adept Students
1 Human

Taxation
50%

Resource
Silver

Terrain
Mountains

Current Projects
80 gold [5 gold used] Foundry [1%]

No work on the foundry is done this turn, normally this would count as a 'pause', but through sheer luck and will power, one lone man meandered about and kept it going. No work was actually done, but he did manage to still collect a paycheck for doing nothing which was impressive really when one considered it. Wait, no, he collected a paycheck for all the workers that were supposed to be there... [Lose -15 gold, Foundry does not count as 'paused', work was directed to Magic Academy instead, passed a D1000].

250 gold for (250 used so far) for a Magic Academy [100%]

The Magic academy is completed. The wooden structure is fairly impressive, all things considered, being large enough to house multiple students with various extra rooms for studies, recreation and a rather large room filled with arcane instruments that would allow a student to, mostly, tap into the Aether without blowing themselves to bits. Mostly. There is always the chance such a thing could occur, after all, the Aether obeyed none but their own whims, but it was far, far safer and would allow for students to actually gain experience binding the winds and weaving their spells. Now that the Magic Academy was completed, the magically attuned human within Nova could begin their training to, one day, become nothing more then a charm making machine for Araquiel, but it sure beats being a lumberjack or a miner.

Completed Projects
Smelters

Revenue
216 Gold, 7 Silver, 5 Copper

Upkeep/Expenditure
-326 Gold, 1 Silver
(you don't pay the 64 per turn for the grimblades yet)
(Food, monthly payment, horse care, equipment maintenance, you only pay wages for mercs [Rose])

Income
- 129 Gold, 3 Silver, 5 Copper

Treasury
159 Gold, 7 Silver

Military
6 Companions of the Grave
32 Grimblades

Training
1 Magically Attuned Human [6 Turns Remaining]

Order 1: Exploration to Find the Dwarves

The dwarves are gone, most likely dead. Araquiel shook his head in disappointment as he thinks he just wasted 120 gold, a significant amount of money for a village as small as theirs. On the other hand, they were able to locate a dimensional gateway. Very dangerous, yes, but at the same time, if they find the right dimension, it could bring them immeasurable resources and riches.

He unexpectedly also found a gate back to the Seven Mountains. It slightly made Araquiel emotional as he was so near home yet at the same time, so far. He even wondered if there was still a possibility for him to return. Part of him wants to, it's his home after all, but another part of him doesn't want to. It was related to his ambitious dream that he is sure is what got him banished.

To be something more than an angelic spirit, to be more powerful, to be equal to her Mother... perhaps even more powerful. It's not bad to dream, right...?

Araquiel shook his head to break him out of his stupor. Next month, he is sure that the Dimensional Gateway will be recharged and he can commence another round of dimensional expeditions. He is excited to see what this boon or perhaps curse will bring them.

Order 2: Research More About Yvonne

Araquiel's heart tightened after his deep meditation to recall old and ancient memories. He finally remembered what happened on this mountain back in the Ages of The Gods. Mother walked this land as Yvonne, accompanied by his angelic brothers and sisters. Together they defeated a Primordial Beast, but none of them came out from the battle. It was assumed they have fallen in the battle.

After taking a deep breath to recollect himself, Araquiel's steeled his heart and thought of the possible fortunes that event may bring him and his village. Mother or Yvonne carried with her a powerful sword, aside from the body of her avatar, even the bodies of the angelic spirits and the primordial beast would prove to be useful should he get his hands on them. He feels bad at this thought but as a mortal, he must grasp all the opportunities he could.

He gave orders to his agents to unearth any news that could be related to that ancient battle. He also sent a messenger for Grensbrook to ask Lady Alwyn to also obtain help him obtain some news.

Free Order:
1. Continue Refinery Construction

Trektek · Oct 11, 2022

LightHome

Logrim BlazingHand

Turn 5

3Ef2DsJJKTwPO9w03Dxfb4gh1XJCPgdyB9TUZX3nS45Gpr3MsFe585gAhULsPyOusWs5EptiFbrhONFtDE9stJCPY0vYqD1PQD-k07gUx5OdPhQc-V7gjPC0caHjoBVjAgBKLu4sCYzqTYaoOCdxLE7h2rF7Nxggi8lrIladV5CeYqkvSmdxEmCXNg

Prince Logrim was admiring the new weapon that was created. A trio of very large cannons was but the first step to his automated multi firing weapon. Just the first step in defensive warfare of his settlement. It was a perfect stepping stone to other more powerful versions.

But now it is built. The Prototype of his new weapons. And now it needed a name. Yes, a perfect name for what it is and what it does. The words spoke to him, as any good creation does.

The Tri-Cannon

It would be but the first of many. And others would become more refined. But this TRi-Cannon would be the first and have a special place in his heart.

As he was inspecting his handiwork, Hazzim cleared his throat. Clearly he must have been standing there for some time before he decided that Logrim wasn’t going to notice him as he was admiring his latest work.

“Yes Uncle. What can I do for you?” Logrim spoke through gritted teeth. He didn’t like to be interrupted from his inspections. Even if it was the third or fourth inspection of the day.

“There has been some grumblings from the men about the construction of the rail system.”

“This again? It will be completed in time. The delays are a clear indication of the weather.”

Hazzim looked annoyed as he spoke. “Yes, my Prince. That is part of the grumblings. As the weather gets colder, it is getting harder and harder to set up the rails. With the heaviest part of the winter to arrive soon, perhaps it would be best to…..

Logrim waved a dismissive hand. “....yes, yes. I see your point, dear Uncle. Relieve the workers until the warmer months. But it shall be completed eventually. I will turn my eyes towards other matters.”

“Yes, my Prince.” Hazzim gave a bow as he left to enact the relief of the men from the rail project.

LdljlmaaTkieSGk3SChXtYjh3rqjYhgiHxJuEQy1cJxPqZhwtk_bWsP5GW2D-SIWj-_MDybg7u9h2kgeeNSMrQWrnPuzuwFvqrLCHbbiiwe2nII1iaePlfCap1trPuQY0E-4dae60Cja2n3fC72d63DG4qarzQGQpzYY2AvFfLTn4J2UouuBOtVAYQ

Logbook of Dwarven Miner, Boron

Day 120

“The rails have been stopped from completion. I hear its due to the harshness of the Winter. But bah! What sort of panzy would stop working just because of a wee bit of cold?”

Day 136

“I hear tell of bandit hordes roaming to the Southlands. Hopefully the disgraced guards would be up to the task of protecting us from harm. Of course, I here tell of a secret weapon called the Tri-Cannon which will help in defense of our lands. I also hear its one of the Prince’s new technologies. So I guess we’ll have to wait and see if it comes to that. ”

Day 142

“I found a strange rock with squiggles on it. I’ve put it in my pocket. I don’t know if it be runes or just random markings, but its mine. I’ve put in in my pocket next to me holy symbol for safety. Just in case.”

R_LmMWoHUvvKsS1EaDj9WjZvtB8U_sSLkIpisjnyHjTQFgz5-eZO2ipdGZDQoSK7_jU-MdVDdobEBRdMkDzzbmtJSndc9TdJq6YZV4VD8GbccyxbE1y-wX4ZmQ7TBrGBWVtMOMXKAyfJE228cQ7rYie0292avJ5lpk668mUUU1jS3uyPsiD4stS0Jw

The Weapon that Could Save A Nation

The Tri-Cannon was impressive. No one could deny that. But it uses up a lot of resources every time that it would be fired. That can be a logistical nightmare. However, it is a prototype for things to come. And those are usually made up of monstrous beasts that need to be corrected in their own way and manner.

Logrim knew that with as much was expended on the TRi-Cannon, that with the harshness of winter approaching, he would need to help reassure the people once more. And he would do so, by assembling a brigade to insure that everyone remains safe, healthy. And warm throughout the harshest part of this winter time in this dangerous land.

Turn Actions

Action 1: Logrim will take an apprentice and teach him how to become a skilled blacksmith such as himself in order to run the blacksmith shop

Action 2: Logrim will assemble the Winter Brigade. The duties as such will be to travel in small groups of 3-5 and making sure that each household is warm enough, has enough food for the harsh months, is in need of improved medical care and is not snowed in/trapped within their abode.

On Hold Tasks: Construction of Rails

Continuing Tasks: Blacksmith Shop

Dest · Oct 14, 2022

Azdanur

A BEAST AMONG MEN

Gideon narrowed his eyes as he watched the training bout between the duo of militia trainees, the pair of men using padded spears to attack each other viciously. As one of the men finally caught the other in the chest he pushed him to the ground, holding his spear under his opponent's chin - ~~strike, maim, kill him~~ - and calling for surrender. The man on the ground - weak, unworthy, Prey - struggled for a moment before letting out a sigh and dropping his weapon, signaling his acceptance of his loss. Claps and cheers began to ring out from the circle of other trainees surrounding the duo, forming a makeshift sparring ring for them.

"Victor, Beldon!" Gideon stepped forward, raising the standing villager's hand - strong, worthy, Predator - above his head. "That ought to be enough training for all of you today, go get some rest and get warmed up before you all freeze to death!"

As the villagers began to disperse, many of them returning to their homes for a warm meal while they could, Gideon turned to the remaining men and women standing on the field. Fourteen of the fifteen sergeants of the order - friends, allies, Pack - had finished with their usual warmups and were now standing at attention at the far end of the field, the only member missing being Forgrin as he attempted to teach their goblin drummer - ~~weak, enemy, kill~~ - any kind of beat under the order of Kaiden - liar, Traitor. With a single motion the entire group stepped forwards, claiming the spots that the villagers had just left.

"Today I have a special treat for you all, Alice has agreed to spar with a duo of you at once in order to demonstrate why you must get used to the instincts that Kaiden's deal has given to you. Each of you may now be much stronger than you were, but that means nothing if you do not learn how to work with the muscle memory," the sergeants nodded, several of them appearing to barely pay attention to him. Gideon's eyes narrowed and he let a small feral grin show, the instincts given to him by his magic strand being released to the smallest degree. "Halley, Dolf. You two will be our demonstrations today, do try to keep up for a moment."

As the duo stepped forwards with matching arrogant grins Alice strode onto the field, calmly staring the duo down. Once all three were ready the 'duel' began, Alice launching herself forward and immediately rapping Dolf on the side of the head and taking him out of the fight in one move. Halley moves to attack back, a panicked look on her face, but is unable to move properly in her surprise. With another smooth motion Alice uses her shield to backhand the younger woman, knocking her onto her back and knocking the sword from her grip. The fight had barely lasted ten seconds, the veteran of the order taking the two out with only two attacks.

"And that is why you must all learn how to use your muscle memory," Gideon nodded to his friend, waving her to his side now that the demonstration was done. "Each of you will be sparring with each other until I am satisfied that you know what you are doing, so let's begin."

THE LADY OF LIGHT

"Everything fit right? Nothing restraining or keeping you from fighting?" Alice walked around Kaiden, observing him flowing through various stances in his new scale armor. She did her best to ignore the familiar twinge of pain and sadness as her eyes caught the ring on his finger, her own growing heavy for a moment.

"I believe so, we won't know for sure till I get into a proper fight but for now this will do," the one-eyed man concentrated for a moment and lit his sword up, holding it as he usually did in battle. "And the metal doesn't appear to heat up enough for it to be damaged by my flames, so that won't be an issue."

"Kaiden, extinguish your sword now or I'll extinguish it for you," the light mage glared at her friend, doing her best not to scowl as he barely kept from burning several of the scraps of parchment that were on her desk. "Now get out of here, I need to take stock of the larder and decide what we are going to do about our gold reserves."

Kaiden is quick to leave, not eager to feel the wrath of his friend so early in the day. As soon as he is gone Alice sits heavily in her chair, looking back at the notes and calculations that she had been taking care of. Tapping the edge of her inkwell, she thought about how best to divide the remainder of their treasure for the last, and most brutal, of the cruel winter months they had been dealing with. With a sigh she wrote out a final calculation before nodding, having reached her decision. They would have to leave the temple unfinished for now, it was far more important for them to get the wall finished and they were running out of time to have the farmers work as builders. Making one final note she portioned off the sum of 75 gold to go to the builders, wincing at how little gold that left them in their reserves.

'That will have to do, I suppose I had better go check on the larder now. Let's hope we have enough food to last the month,' she stood and stretched, ready to get her work done before she had to go give Gideon his demonstration that afternoon.

Actions
1. Establish a guard rotation with the militia

2. Ensure that all citizens of Azdanur are kept fed and warm through the end of the season

Current Projects
260 [240 gold used so far, estimated final cost will be 400 gold] for Wooden Walls [60%]
300 [60 gold used] for a Temple [20%] (Putting on halt until wall is finished)

Completed Projects
Training Field
Statue of the Unknown Squire
Statue of Oberon

Village Population
421

50/50 men and women
%15 Elderly
%25 Children
%60 Adults
80% Human/20% Other [Dwarves/Halflings/Other]

Taxation
50%

Aether-Kissed Marble

Terrain
Hills

114 Gold

Very heavy and cumbersome armor, built for an Orc. Will get -20% agility for any non-orc that wears it [-10 for an orc] counts as Armor Point 4.

A very large, but well made, axe. This axe may only be used by someone with a Strength of at least 40%. The user will have -5% agility, but have +1 Damage. This has Slow and Impact.

9 Unused Swords/Axes/Maces
8 suits of gambeson
3 suits of chainmail

Medium armor, [Armor Point 3], seems to be a masterwork and you can't fathom who'd leave it behind. As a masterwork, it will not hurt your agility.

15 Sergeants

Gavron [Sword], Arietta [Sword], Forgrin [Sword] (Holy Magic Capable), Shawn [Sword, Crossbow], and Godiva [Sword, Crossbow]

Aurem [Sword], Dolf [Sword, Crossbow], Eliza [Sword], Rodrick [Sword], and Kirsten [Sword, Crossbow]

Dave [Sword, Crossbow], Halley [Sword], Patric [Sword], Townley [Sword], and Marvelle [Sword, Crossbow]

Chip
17 Hunters
[Similar to militia only they have hunting bows already are a bit more trained)
40 Trained Militia
158 Untrained Militia (1 Magic Capable[Fire])

Lazaro1505 · Oct 14, 2022

Mäkinen’s Legacy

Some Unmarked Camp in the snowy forest:

Deep within the snow covered forests within an unmarked area of the continent, the most apparent thing for a particular individual currently resting within one of many tattered and poorly made tents scattered within the icy winds flowing across the landscape… and that was the feeling of ‘numbeness’. Yes, even someone like him, the leader of at least a hundred different men and women, multiple different races all in one camp attempting to survive in weather like this, wasn’t free from such conditions as well. After all, he wasn’t some delusional noble that thought of himself as a god or some long living being capable of shrugging off such a weather as in a mere afterthought… he was mortal, just like them… and he knew such fact.

And yet, that didn’t stop him from his efforts at all. In fact, the sight that their own leader was going through the same hardships as them and still attempting to lead such a group… even to survive such a place, would certainly get them to understand his cause. Only giving a sigh as the cloth that was covering his body as well as the tent surrounding his form just barely kept the cold from being unbearable… ah, how much he has missed the days in which the warm comforting rays of the sun covered his form. And now, he has to deal with the pressing matter of trying to lead not only his group to survive the winter, but to uphold his promise of fame and money that would rival that of even his own mother’s legacy.

Hega… while most would have feared such a name, or others respect her only due to her position or infamy, he himself knew there was more than meets the eye for his own mother. After all, if rumors about her were true… why would she even care to raise her own son, or better yet, keep them around for that matter. He wanted to follow in her own footsteps, try to make her proud for raising a wretch… like himself. And yet now, he was failing at such a goal… his people were beginning to starve, the many bandits that made up her group had separated from internal conflicts. Alon-

Interrupting him from his thoughts was the arrival of an particular scaly individual entering his tent, the small form of the blue scaled Kobold nervously making their way into his tent was apparent. Only giving a sigh as Ivan stared right down at the Kobold, who only seemed to get more nervous from his glare. “S-sir… I-I have a report from the s-scouting parties…” the blue colored Kobold said in a high-pitched masculine voice. Ivan just simply straightened his posture and said in his usual tone, one that seemed to otherwise betray the current look one may have when seeing him for the first time “Well, you have my attention now… Ignis… so go ahead, tell me. Don’t worry, I won’t bite… after all, Kobold meat would probably be a bit too chewy for my taste.” as he gave a chuckle at what he said. Although Ignis didn’t calm down from what Ivan said, the kobold continued to speak… he was in here after all, he couldn’t back out now. “While s-some of the hunting p-parties returned… s-some have g-gone… missing… something must have h-happened to them.”

Only raising a hand to the dark green bandana covering his mouth, the bandit leader just gave a nod at such, before saying “And I presume that they aren’t having a smoke break somewhere around there. After all, even in situations like this, I’m sure those numbskulls will find some way to slack off even if our very lives depended on it…” “N-no sir… t-they have been missing for hours now…” the kobold responded. Only beginning to raise up from his spot on the ground as he gave a simple whistle from his mouth, an ‘object’ from nearby had swooped right down onto his left arm, which was now extended out, seemingly to grab the object that flew straight in. Raising his right arm upwards, Ivan began petting the ‘object’ that landed onto his left arm, which was none other than a falcon sitting right onto his arm, it’s talons grasping onto the leather gloves that protected Ivan’s hands from its sharp grasp.

While it wasn’t the first falcon Ivan had raised… he still had felt a personal connection to Hanz. After all, Hanz was not only useful scouting from above with their sharp eyes, but they were a great friend as well… one that would stay loyal to the end. With the falcon making a few clacking noises with its beak, Ivan then addressed Ignis once again, his own expression becoming more serious.

“Suppose someone has to find those idiots… Ignis, I shall be leaving soon enough with a gathered group of those willing to come as well as some Hunting dogs to track down the missing scouting groups. I need you to relay a message to the rest of the camp while I am gone… now, listen closely to what I shall be saying-“

Actions:
1. “-In order to aid with the hunting efforts… we shall be making traps alongside assigning 4 hunting dogs to our hunting efforts in order to better our efforts at getting the necessary food in order to survive the cold winter…”

2. “After our search for the missing scouting group, I shall assign my scouting parties to instead look for sufficient sized caves for our people to reside within as to protect themselves from the elements of the outside world. If we are unable to do such, then they are to find a reasonably sized cave for some bandits to reside within while the others dig into the snow itself and place their tent coverings over the hole as to better protect themselves from the cold…”

Free Action:
1. Gather a group of bandits (made up of: Ivan, Ivan’s pet falcon, 2 hunting dogs, 7 Beeravian bandits, 10 Human bandits, and 13 Kobold Bandits) to begin their expedition out into the snowy forest as to figure out the reasoning for why the bandit scouting forces hasn’t returned yet, utilizing the hunting dogs to follow the path of the bandits who haven’t returned yet traversed in.

Fantasy Claimants of the Forsaken Lands

The Sane One

Happy Necromancer

Imagination will bring us everywhere

Builder of Nations

Going round it to be honest

Does Not Know Kung-fu

One Thousand Club

🤘🏻Master of Puppets🤘🏻

Happy Necromancer

Imagination will bring us everywhere

Mister Zero

Going round it to be honest

The lord of randomness and the warp

The Sane One

Does Not Know Kung-fu

🤘🏻Master of Puppets🤘🏻

Mister Zero

Builder of Nations

Golden ball of bloody cuteness

One Thousand Club

Isekai'ed Soul

Imagination will bring us everywhere

Happy Necromancer

The Sane One

Skeleton Boi

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